THE 



i^^ 



TEACHER AND THE PARENT; 



A TREATISE UPON 



COMMON-SCHOOL EDUCATION; 



CONTAININa 



PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS AND PARENTS 



fill 

/BY / 

CHARLES NORTHEND, A.M., 

SUPBRINTENSENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, DAKTEBS, MASS.', LATE, AND FOB KANT 
TEABS, PBINCIPAL OF THE EPES SCHOOL, SALEM, MASS. 



(3- 



BOSTON: 
JENKS, HICKLINa, & SWAN, 

131 WASHINGTON STREET. 

1853. ^,l^^' 



.N7S 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1863, 

By CHARLES NORTHEND, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts, 



STEREOTYPED BT 

HOBART & BOBBINS, 

NEW ENGLAND TYPE AND STEREOTYPE FOUNDERY, 

BOSTON, 



TO 



GEORGE PEABODY, ESQ., 

OF LONDON, 

▲ S A MOBLE ILLUSTRATION OF THE HIGH AND HONORABLB 

POSITION WHICH IS ATTAINABLE BY A WISE 

IMPROVEMENT OP 

AND WITH THE HOPE THAT MULTITUDES, ON BOTH 

HEMISPHERES, MAY BE STIMULATED TO MANLY EFFORTS 

BY HIS WORTHY EXAMPLE, 

CTljis Volume 

IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
BY 

THE AUTHOR. 



PEEFACE. 



In the preparation of this volume, it has been the 
author's aim to furnish for teachers a work which should 
at once lead them to view their calling in its true light, 
stimulate them to fidelity, and furnish them with such 
plain, practical suggestions, as might prove valuable to 
them in the performance of their important and arduous 
duties. In the execution of his design, he has been free 
to make extracts from the writings of others, when he 
has found their views in accordance with his own. In 
all such cases he has made the proper acknowledgment ; 
and it is believed that the quotations he has made will 
not diminish the value of the work. 

Having had an experience of nearly twenty years as 
an instructor in public schools, the author feels that he 
can, in some degree, appreciate the nature of the teach- 
er's work, the qualifications essential to a wise discharge 
of appropriate duties, and something of the trials, per- 
plexities, and pleasures, connected with the same. How 
1# 



VI PREFACE. 

far he has succeeded in accomplishing his design, must 
be for others to decide. 

With the sincere desire that this volume may prove 
an acceptable addition to works on education, and be 
instrumental in advancing the great interest of common 
school instruction, it is affectionately and respectfully 
commended to the candid consideration of teachers and 
parents, with the hope that the truths advanced may 
have their proper influence, though dressed in a plain 
and familiar style. 

Danvers, Mass., May 1, 1853. 



CONTENTS. 



PART I. 

CHAPTER I. 
Common Schools, 11 

CHAPTER n. 
The Teacher, 16 

CHAPTER ra. 

Thorough Knowledge, Aptness to Teach, Accuracy, Patience, 
and Perseverance, 26 

CHAPTER IV. 
Candor, Truthfulness, and Courteousness, 31 

CHAPTER V. 
Ingenuity, Individuality, 36 

CHAPTER VI. 
Kindness, Gentleness, Forbearance, and Cheerftilness, .... 41 

CHAPTER Vn. 

Common Sense, Knowledge of Human Nature, General Inform- 
ation, Desire to do Good, and Hopefulness, 46 

CHAPTER Vm. 

Correct Moral Principles, Exemplary Habits and Deportment ; 
Diligence, 53 

CHAPTER IX. 
Neatness and Order ; Self-Control, 68 



VIII ' CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER X. 
Earnestness, Energy, Enthusiasm, 66 

CHAPTER XI. 

Judgment and Prudence ; System and Punctuality ; Inde- 
pendence, 71 

CHAPTER Xn. 

Professional Feeling and Interest ; a Deep and Well-grounded 
Interest in Teaching, 76 

CHAPTER Xm. 
Means of Improvement, 81 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Teaching 93 

CHAPTER XV. 
Discipline, 106 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Means of Interesting Pupils and Parents, 119 

CHAPTER XVII. 
Moral Instruction, 130 

CHAPTER XVni. 
Emulation and Prizes, 147 

CHAPTER XIX. 
Primary Schools, I54 

CHAPTER XX. 
Lessons and Recitations, , 153 

CHAPTER XXI. 
Examinations and Exhibitions, 178 

CHAPTER XXn. 
Multiplicity of Studies, 182 

CHAPTER XXni. 
Reading Igg 



/ 



CONTENTS. IX 

CHAPTER XXIV. 
Spelling, , 194 

CHAPTER XXV. 
Penmanship, ....• 204 

CHAPTER XXVI. 
Geography, 211 

CHAPTER XXVn. 
Grammar, 219 

CHAPTER XXVm. 
Letter-Writing and Composition, 225 

CHAPTER XXIX. 
Arithmetic, 229 

CHAPTER XXX. 
Book-Keeping : Declamation, 237 

CHAPTER XXXI. 
Singing, 241 

CHAPTER XXXn. 
Miscellaneous, 245 



PART II. 

CHAPTER L 
Introductory Remarks, 251 

CHAPTER n. 
School Houses, 257 

CHAPTER m. 
Children should not be sent to School too Young, 262 



X CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IV. 
To Provide Good Teachers, ' 268 

CHAPTER V. 
School Supervision, 273 

CHAPTER VI. 
Parents should Encourage the Teacher, . 280 

CHAPTER Vn. 
Specific Duties, 284 

CHAPTER Vm. 
Candor and Charitableness, 307 

CHAPTER IX. 
High and Honorable Motives, 814 



COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



< ^»^ » 



CHAPTER I. 

COMMON SCHOOLS. 

The establishment and liberal support of common 
schools should be objects of special interest to every 
citizen of our Union. On them, more than on any other 
causC; under Providence, depend the general diffusion 
and perpetuity of those great national blessings and 
privileges which tend to the true exaltation of a people. 
Free schools are the nurseries of the public mind, — the 
lights by which republican virtues and honors are most 
clearly and extensively reflected, — the best safeguards 
aojainst all the ills of ignorance and vice. Without them 
no republican government can long exist and flourish; 
with them, wisely fostered and generally supported, no 
tyrant's sway can long continue, no bigot's views be 
widely disseminated. In view of this, how earnestly and 
assiduously should every good citizen strive to guard and 
improve a judicious system of public-school instruction ! 

Common schools have been very appropriately styled 
the "People's Colleges;" and the character of those who 
graduate from them must determine what the general 
condition of our country shall be. It is true that our 
academies and colleges exert a powerful influence, and 



12 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

OBJECT OP COMMON SCHOOLS. — THEIE IMPORTANCE. 

accomplish a glorious work ; but, so long as more than 
nine-tenths of our whole population never gain access to 
their advantages, how important is it that these more 
accessible institutions, the free schools, be properly cared 
for ! How important is it that they be so sustained that 
they will send forth those healthful influences which shall 
be for the healing and preservation of the nations ! | 

Good common schools should furnish to the young that 
thorough elementary instruction and training which will 
prepare them to engage honorably and successfully in 
any pursuit of hfe. They should form " well-disciphned 
minds, refined tastes, and correct habits, and endow the 
young with a knowledge of sciences, and the principles 
of things, and clothe them with the power of elegant and 
forcible expression, which shall be ' for glory and for 
beauty ' around all the possible occupations of future life, 
rather than to fit them for any special and private emer- 
gency of business." 

If every instructor were thoroughly fitted for the 
duties of his high and honorable calling, and every par- 
ent were ready to render proper and cheerful assistance 
in all the operations of the school-room, the power and 
usefulness of common schools would equal the fondest 
expectations and wishes of the most ardent friends of 
knowledge and liberty. 

Our common schools have enhsted the interest of 
the greatest and best of men. Daniel Webster, in 
speaking of them, said, "If I had as many sons as old 
Priam, I would send them all to the public schools." 
As a proof that the privileges of these schools, wisely 
improved, will qualify one for passing through life with 
the highest degree of success, honor and usefulness, I 



COMMON SCHOOLS. 1^ 

THE EFFICIENCY OF COMMON SCHOOLS. 

would respectfully refer to the example of the gentle- 
man to whom this volume is dedicated, — a name alike an 
honor to his native town and country, and to the country 
of his adoption. By his persevering efforts, he has risen 
to a most exalted position of wealth, honor and influ- 
ence, and by his noble acts of munificence he has be- 
come the admiration of multitudes on both hemispheres. 
In a recent letter to the inhabitants of his native town 
(Danvers, Mass.), he uttered the following noble and 
philanthropic sentiments : " The early associations of my 
life are clustered around our ancient town. It was, as 
many of you know, in a very humble house in the South 
Parish that I was born ; and from the common schools 
of that parish, such as they were in 1803 to 1807, I 
obtained the limited education my parents' means could 
afford ; but to the principles there inculcated, in childhood 
and early youth, I owe much of the foundation for such 
success as Heaven has been pleased to grant me during a 
long business life." -^ * * ^ * "The great increase 
of population and commerce of the United States, the 
development of the internal wealth of the country and 
enterprise of her people, have done much to effect a 
happy relation between Europe and America ; and I can 
scarcely see bounds to our possible future, if we preserve 
harmony among ourselves and good faith to the rest of 
the world, and if we plant the unrivalled New England 
institution of the common school liberally among the 
emigrants who are filling up the great valley of the Mis- 
sissippi." 

With the above excellent remarks were the following 
noble sentiment and generous accompaniment, — the sen- 
timent worthy of being inscribed in letters of gold over 
2 



14 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

NOBLE SENTIMENT AND GENEROUS GIFT. 

the doorway of every school-house in our land, and the 
accompaniment a most substantial proof of the sincerity 
of him who gave the sentiment : 

"Education: A debt due from present to future 
generations. 

"In acknowledgment of the payment of that debt by 
the generation which preceded me in my native town of 
DanverSj and to aid in its prompt future discharge, I 
give to the inhabitants of that town the sum of twenty 
THOUSAND DOLLARS for the promotion of knowledge and 
morality among them." 

If the author of this volume shall be instrumental of 
inspiring teachers with a stronger love for and devotion 
to their work, or shall say anything that will aid, encour- 
age or stimulate them in their arduous labors, — if he 
shall say aught that will tend to awaken parents to a 
proper understanding and performance of the duties they 
owe to public schools, — he will feel rewarded in the con- 
sciousness of having done something towards discharging 
his part of obligations so beautifully expressed, in the 
sentiment above, as constituting the common debt of all, 
— something towards imparting to our common-school 
system vigor and efficiency. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE TEACHER. 

The influence and importance of the office of an in- 
structor of youth cannot be easily over-estimated, and he 
who attempts to fill it should well consider the immense 
responsibilities which rest upon him. He should clearly 
comprehend the nature and magnitude of the duties he 
assumes, that he may correctly judge of his own fitness 
rightly to discharge them. This is the part of true wis- 
dom, and no one should be so rash and inconsiderate as 
to undertake the performance of any important work 
without a well-grounded assurance of ability to prosecute 
it to a successful and satisfactory issue. Who would 
attempt the construction of a piece of machinery with- 
out a proper knowledge of the nature of the work to be 
performed, and a familiarity with the various processes 
necessary to its completion ? A trifling error might ren- 
der valueless the work of months. Who would be so 
inconsiderate as to commence the erection of a dwelling- 
house without a proper knowledge of the principles and 
rules of architecture and carpentry ? Ignorance would 
cause a waste of property, and a failure to secure the 
ends desired. WTiat sane man would assume the com- 
mand of a ship freighted with valuable merchandise, and 
more valuable lives, without possessing a proper acquaint- 
ance with the principles of navigation and seamanship 7 



16 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

THE MAGNITUDE OF THE TEACHER'S TVORK. 

A slight error in calculation might prove the loss of 
thousands of dollars, and the destruction of human 
beings whose loss cannot be measured by dollars. What 
wise man would undertake the training of a young and 
spirited horse, without some knowledge of the task to be 
performed, and of the nature of the animal whose disci- 
pline he undertakes? A wrong course might tend to 
render worse than useless a beast that, rightly trained, 
would be of great service. 

If, then, care, prudence, judgment and wisdom, are so 
essential to the successful prosecution of work whose 
nature is so ephemeral, how can we attach too much 
weight to high qualifications and skill in him who is 
to train and educate imperishable minds of the young 7 
If the work of him who engages in the polishing and 
adornment of jewels and precious stones is considered 
important, how much more so is the work of him who is 
called to the polishing and ennobling of those priceless 
and deathless jewels which are so confidingly resigned 
to the influences of teachers ! Lord John Russell, in 
a speech before the British and Foreign School Soci- 
ety, thus spoke of the duties of the teacher : " Every 
step we take, every year that passes over our heads, only 
tends to show that, to teach well, to elevate the minds of 
children, to implant in them religious and moral princi- 
ples, to send them from school in a fit state to take their 
part in the community, in whatever portion of the busi- 
ness of life may be intrusted to them, is one of the 
most important and difiicult tasks which any man can 
undertake." 

The teacher is a laborer in a work of the utmost con- 
sequence and interest, so far as relates both to the present 



THE TEACHER. Vj 



THE SCHOOLMASTER IS ABROAD. 



and future well-being of those with whom and for whom 
he devotes his time and talents ; and while a due appre- 
ciation, correct knowledge, and faithful discharge of 
appropriate duties, will lead to a most desirable degree of 
true exaltation, a wrong estimate, a want of clear under- 
standing, or an unfaithful performance of them, will 
tend to the injury and depression of both teacher and 
pupils, to an extent proportionate to the degree of the 
deficiency. When we consider that there are, within our 
country, hundreds of thousands of youth of a school-going 
age whose future success, happiness and usefulness, depend 
in so great a degree upon the nature and extent of their 
school training and school influences, with what weighty 
power, for good or ill, does the consideration invest the 
tens of thousands of teachers to whose care and training 
they are intrusted ! 

The phrase "the schoolmaster is abroad" is on the 
tongue of all ; and yet how few know aught of its origin 
or appreciate its force ! A late writer in the National 
Era thus speaks : 

" No orator of our times is more successful than Lord 
Brougham in embalming phrases full of meaning in the 
popular memory. The well-known talismanic sentiment, 
^ the schoolmaster is abroad,^ is an instance. In a 
speech on the elevation of Wellington, a mere military 
chieftain, to the premiership, after the death of Canning, 
Lord Brougham said, ' Field- marshal the Duke of Wel- 
lington may take the army, he may take the navy, he 
may take the mitre. I make him a present of them all. 
Let him come on with his whole force, sword in hand, 
against the constitution, and the English people will not 

only beat him back, but laugh at his assaults. In other 
9* 



18 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

THE teacher's INFLUENCE UNWITTINGLY ACKNOWLEDGED. ! 

times the country may have heard with dismay that ' the 
soldier was abroad.' It is not so now. Let the soldier be 
abroad, if he will ; he can do nothing in this age. There 
is another personage abroad, — a person less imposing ; 
in the eyes of some, perhaps, insignificant. The school- 
maste?^ is abroad ; and I trust to him, armed with his 
primer, against the soldier in full military array." 

A writer in Blackwood's Magazine^ in the outpouring 
of his bitterness against liberal institutions, dating from 
Canada West, unwittingly gives the following testimony 
in favor of the influence of a class whom he affects to 
despise. 

" But there is no circumstance, perhaps, that we could 
mention, that could convey a better idea of the relative 
regard for England and the United States of the class 
of people we have been describing (the democratic party 
in Canada) than the fact, well known to every person who 
has lived among them, that a 'Yankee schoolmaster^ 
without either education or intelligence, — with nothing 
on earth to recommend him save an inveterate propen- 
sity to vaporing and meddhng in the affairs, religious and 
pohtical, of every sect and class wherever he goes, — can, 
and ever has, exercised more influence among them, in 
a few months, than a whole neighborhood of English 
gentlemen could in years. And we speak neither from 
hearsay nor conjecture ; we speak from what we have 
seen and know, and what is susceptible of proof." 

All who consider the subject must admit that the 
teacher is called to labor in a field of vast influence. 
This the teacher should understand, and, though he may 
at times feel almost crushed by the weight of his respons- 
ibilities, and be induced to exclaim, "Who is sufficient 



COMMON SCHOOLS. |^ 



THE NATIJKE OF THE WOEK TO BE PERFORMED, 

for these tilings?" yet let him persevere, trusting in Him 
from whom cometli all needed assistance, ever aiming at 
a nearer approximation to the mark of perfection, ever 
striving to remove defects and cultivate excellences. 
We regard him as a wise and judicious husbandman who 
carefully removes from his grounds all noxious weeds, 
and who so trains liis vines and trees that they will not 
become fruitless and useless cumberers of the soil they 
occupy. If Avorldly wisdom and sagacity prompt to so 
much attention and watchfulness for those objects 
which, hke the grass of the field, wither and die, 
with what intense interest and care should they labor 
and watch who are called to cultivate fields so closely 
filled with plants whose existence is commensurate with 
eternity ! Is it not a work of the greatest importance 
rightly to watch and till these fields, that they may be 
kept dressed in " living green," yet free from all hurtful 
weeds and untoward influences ; and that these deathless 
plants may receive such support and training as shall 
cause them to "blossom and bear fruit" to the honor 
and glory of the Divine Teacher ? If properly nurtured 
and trained, what ornaments and blessings will they 
become to the hill-sides and valleys of our beloved land ! 
If neglected or mal-trained, what curses will they prove 
to the gardens in which they grew, to the communities 
whose atmosphere they taint, and to those who should 
have led them to the light, but have rather left them to 
grope in darkness, and imbibe the pestiferous influences 
of ignorance and wickedness ! As cultivators in these 
priceless nurseries of God's planting, teachers occupy a 
foremost rank ; and woe will be pronounced against those 
who, by undervaluing their work, or misapplying their 



20 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

WHAT A SCHOOLMASTER SHOULD BE. 

time and talents, cause or allow deformities and imper- 
fections to exist and perpetuate themselves. 

The influence of a teacher, for the weal or woe of 
those confided to his care, is almost inconceivable. 
From his every act, word, and even look^ they will 
receive impressions, good or ill, which will remain as 
long as the susceptibility of the mind to retain impres- 
sions shall endure. How solemn the thought, and yet how 
true, that the teacher's influence will extend through all 
coming time ! With what force should this thought 
impress the minds of all who take upon themselves the 
duties and responsibilities of an instructor ! With what 
care, industry and zeal, should it incite them to strive 
for the cultivation of those quahties, and the acquisi- 
tion of that knowledge, which will enable them to labor 
wisely and well ! 

Says one :* " It must not be supposed, for a moment, 
that every person who can pass the strictest examination 
is fit to manage a school. It takes a peculiar man to be 
just the right sort of a teacher. He is an article com- 
pounded of various ingredients, such as you cannot buy 
at the apothecary's. As to his intellectual quahfica- 
tions, his mind should be a fountain^ and not a reservoir. 
His knowledge should gush up of itself^ and not have to 
be drmvn up as by a windlass. He should be a man 
oi ingenuity and tact^ of various resources and expedients, 
and not a helpless creature of custom, plodding on, day 
after day, in the same old path, like a horse in a bark- 
mill. He should be fresh in his feelings and sympathies, 
and not a petrified post of Medusa ; his heart should be 

* J. G. Hoyt. 



COMMON SCHOOLS. 21 



INTKGKITT AND CHRISTIAN FAITH. 



young in all its pulsations, though his head may be as 
bald as Elisha's. Endued with a courage and resolution 
that know no defeat, he should, Hke Dickens' Kaven, 
^ never say die.' 

''He should be a man of the world, as well as a man 
of books ; familiar with human nature, not less than with 
Mitchell's Geography. He should be a scholar of some 
breadth^ as well as depth ; knowing something more than 
the mere routine of daily study, and not a man whose 
half-dozen thoughts rattle in his vacant head like 
shrunken kernels in a bean-pod. His mental store- 
house should be filled with the fruits of various and ex- 
tensive reading, so that he need not be compelled to draw 
his illustrations for the recitation-room from the tales of 
his grandfather, or from the treasures of last year's 
almanac. 

" In addition to his intellectual furnishing, he should be 
a man of integrity, of moral rectitude, and purity of 
character, imbued with the spirit of truth and wisdom. 
And if, beside all this, the light of a Christian faith 
should irradiate his scientific and literary acquirements, 
it would serve to give them a brighter lustre, even as ' a 
lamp set in an alabaster vase brings out in bolder relief 
and clearer expression the beautiful figures which may 
be sculptured upon it.' Let the common-school teacher 
possess qualifications like these, and he can do much — 
perhaps more than any single individual — for the renova- 
tion of human society." "A teacher of small children," 
says the same writer, " should be a sort of locomotive 
patent-office, full of all manner of inventions. The 
young love novelty as much as they hate routine. To 
secure their interest, therefore, one must excite their 



22 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

A COMMON EEBOR. — ANECDOTE OP DINTEB. 

astonishment and admiration every hour of every day in 
the week with some new thing under the sun." 

The feeling has been quite too common that any one 
could "keep school;" so that many schools have been 
kept^ while but few have been well taught ; they have 
been kept from true knowledge, and not in garnering up 
for future usefulness. Hence, mere striplings, or men 
of maturer age with no fixed views or plans, engage in 
"keeping school," though they never teach, because 
themselves untaught. They can neither discipline nor 
instruct, because they have never themselves been 
properly disciplined and instructed. 

When Dinter was school -counsellor in Prussia, a mili- 
tary man of great influence urged him to recommend a 
disabled soldier, in whom he was interested, as a school- 
teacher. "I will do so," said Dinter, "if he can sus- 
tain the requisite examination." "0," said the colonel, 
" he does not know aught about school-teaching; but he 
is a good, moral, steady man, and I hope you will recom- 
mend him, to oblige me." "0 yes," said Dinter, "to 
obhge you, if you, in your turn, will do me a favor." 
"And what favor can I do you?" asked the colonel. 
" Why, get me appointed drum-major in your regiment," 
said Dinter. " It is true that I can neither beat a drum 
nor play a fife ; but I am a good, moral, steady man as 
ever lived." 

It is not enough that a man is '-^ good and steady ^^"^ 
in order to become a teacher. It is essential that his 
whole life and character be so pure and correct that he 
shall constitute a pattern worthy of the closest imitation. 
How desirable that his " daily walk and conversation" 
form, as it were, a "living epistle," not only "known 



THE TEACHER. 23 



IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT EXAMPLES. 



and read" of all children, but imparting unto them such 
instruction as will lead them in ways of virtue and use- 
ful industry ! How important that a teacher be entirely 
free from habits the formation of which in the young 
would be deprecated by every good and virtuous citizen ! 
Precept, when opposed by example, is often worse than 
powerless. If a teacher Avould effectually discountenance 
profanity, he must do so "by word and deed." If he 
would encourage frankness and love for truth and hon- 
esty, his every action must be free from guile and duplic- 
ity. If he would cultivate habits of civility and courtesy, 
his example must precede and succeed his counsels. If 
he would incite to that regard for order which has a 
"place for everything and everything in its place," he 
must not himself exhibit any deviation from these partic- 
ulars. If he would secure proper attention to cleanli- 
ness in dress and personal appearance, he must himself, 
in these particulars, constitute a "bright example." If 
he would form a true regard for regularity and punctu- 
ality, his own practices must be in strict accordance with 
these qualities. In fine, his entire conduct, his conver- 
sation, his appearance, must bespeak and confirm the 
propriety and intrinsic worth of the precepts he would 
inculcate. Say not, candidate for the teacher's profes- 
sion, that this is requiring too much. You should well 
consider the nature and magnitude of the duties to be 
assumed, and then strive earnestly and constantly for the 
faithful performance of those duties. Look onward and 
upward, remembering that "they who sow shall in due 
time reap, if they faint not." Be not unduly troubled 
by the perplexities that may beset your path. Trials 
and diflBculties, rightly regarded, will only tend to 



24 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. | 

» 

teacher's reward. — GERMAN PARABLE. ' 

I 
, . j 

quicken and improve you. Do your duty faithfully, I 
ever seeking to promote the best good of your pupils, 
and a rich and glorious reward will one day be yours, — 
not a reward of silver and gold, but that richer, higher, 
nobler reward, which springs from the consciousness of 
having been an humble instrument of enlightening, ex- 
panding and elevating the minds of immortal beings, and 
thus enabling them to act " wisely and well " their parts 
on the stage of life. 

* "To require perfection in a teacher, would be to 
demand more than has been attained by any other per- 
son, — more than can be accomplished in this world, — 
for, should we attain our present idea of perfection, a 
higher standard would be revealed to us, and we should 
be as far as ever from our mark. All that spaice, too vast 
for us to measure, between our minds and that of the 
Infinite, is given us, in which to improve. We cannot 
reach the end of our course, we cannot discern the limits 
to our capacity to improve. Every step in progress, 
every effort towards perfection, diminishes this interven- 
ing space. This is thus beautifully illustrated by the 
following German parable : ' A child was at play upon 
the open field. A star rose over the hill-top. The child 
gazed at it with pleased and longing eyes. "How beau- 
tiful it is ! " he exclaims. "It is just on the hill-top ; 
I will run and catch it, and have it for my own." With 
eager dehght he started in pursuit, and climbed the hill 
before him, — but, lo, the star was' not there ! It now 
seemed to rest on the mountain-top beyond. Nothing 
disheartened, the child pressed on. His course led him 

* Rev. J. F. Moors. 



THE TEACHER. 25 



THE TEACHER SHOULD HAVE A HIGH STANDARD. 

over fields of roses, and through hedges of thorns. At 
length he gained the mountain- top. But the star was 
not there. It was further than at first. It no longer 
rested upon the mountain ; it was climbing the distant 
heavens. The child had become a man. The object of 
his pursuit had not been gained. It had receded as he 
had advanced; but his course had been onward and 
upward.' " 

So with the teacher. He should place his standard 
high, and, with his eye steadily upon it, he should ever 
be rising and approximating the ' ' mark of his high call- 
ing." All his well-directed efforts will tend to crown 
his labors with success, and secure for him the approval 
of the "Perfect Teacher," who will strengthen him for 
still greater and more ennobling efforts. 

I have thus considered the teacher's vocation, and 
alluded to the indifference with which it is too often 
regarded, in the hope that a proper estimate may be 
formed in the minds of those who may adopt it ; and that 
they may feel, as they should do, that they are called to 
th^ performance of highly responsible and important 
duties. 

I shall now proceed to speak of some of the essentials 
for a good and successful instructor, hoping thereby to 
be instrumental in awakening a stronger feeling and 
deeper interest in the great work of educating the young. 



CHAPTER III. 

THOROUGH KNOWLEDGE AND APTNESS TO TEACH. " 

These points are so evident that I hardly need urge 
their consideration ; and I would not do so, were it not that 
persons are constantly seeking, and many gaining, admis- 
sion to the teacher's oflfice, who are sadly deficient in 
their qualifications, — even in the elementary branches. 
If a teacher would gain and preserve the confidence and 
respect of his pupils, he must be able, on every occasion, 
to furnish the clearest evidence that he possesses a full, 
distinct and discriminating knowledge of every subject on 
which it may be desirable to impart instruction. He 
should not only understand the subjects himself, but he 
should be able to make them clear and intelligible to the 
minds of his pupils; abounding in knowledge himself, 
he must also possess aptness in imparting that knowledge 
to others. The manifestation of the slightest ignorance, 
or a degree of hesitation indicative thereof, may at once 
cause a distrust or want of confidence, which will greatly 
impair, if not destroy, his usefulness or success. Hence, 
it is desirable that those who intend to become teachers 
should store their minds with an anaount of available 
knowledge which will not only be sufficient for conduct- 
ing the regular text-book lessons of the school-room, but 
also for meeting and answering satisfactorily all the 
queries which may arise in the minds of their pupils, and 



KNOWLEDGE AND APTNESS TO TEACU. 27 

ACCURACY AND DISTINCTNESS. — ANECDOTE. 



thus satisfying them that they are receiving supplies from 
a well-filled fountain. Their knowledge should be ready, 
clear and unequivocal. The possession of knowledge, 
without the abihty properly to impart the same, is as a 
^' light under a bushel," whose rays are so circumscribed 
as to be of no value. The efficient and successful 
instructor must be as a '^ light on a hill," imparting 
cheerful intelligence and clear vision to all around. 



ACCURACY AND DISTINCTNESS. 



If pupils are early trained to execute whatever they 
undertake in a clear and distinct manner, it will be of 
great service to them through life ; while a careless and 
indistinct mode will affect them unfavorably and perma- 
nently. Hence a teacher should strive to impress upon 
the minds of his pupils the great importance of doing all 
their work accurately and plainly. How many people write 
letters and other documents so miserably and so illegibly 
that they cannot be deciphered except with the greatest 
difficulty. Frequently very singular and ludicrous errors 
result from a want of distinctness in writing. The fol- 
lowing are examples of such cases : 

An English gentleman once applied to the East India 
Company for an office for a friend of his in India, and 
succeeded in obtaining an appointment. The man who 
received the favor wrote to his friend, and signified his 
intention to send an equivalent for the kind assistance he 
had received. The gentleman who received the letter 
could make nothing of the word but elephant ; and, 
being pleased with the idea of receiving such a noble 
animal, he was at the expense of erecting a suitable 



28 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

ANECDOTE. PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE. 

building for his accommodation. What was his surprise 
in receiving, instead of an elephant^ a pot of sweetmeats, 
as the equivalent! Perhaps this man saw as much of 
the elephant as many who have sought a view in these 
latter days ; and the sight was, probably, quite as profit- 
able, and quite as palatable. 

A clergyman in Massachusetts, more than a century 
ago, addressed a letter to the General Court, on some 
subject of interest that was then under discussion. The 
clerk read the letter, in which, as he thought, occurred 
this remarkable sentence : "I address you, not as magis- 
trates, but as Indian devils. ^^ The clerk hesitated, and, 
after more careful examination, repeated, "Yes, he ad- 
dresses you as Indian devils.^ ^ The wrath of the hon- 
orable body was greatly aroused ; they passed a strong 
vote of censure, and demanded of the reverend gentleman 
an apologetic explanation ; from which it was discovered 
that he addressed them not as magistrates, but as indi- 
viduals. 

PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE. 

From the days of pious Job until the present time, 
patience has been considered a Christian grace. Every 
individual, whatever his situation or occupation, finds 
occasion for its exercise. No one more needs its full and 
free operation than the instructor; and in no one is a 
deficiency more strongly felt, or more disastrous. In the 
discipline and instruction of his school, he will, some- 
times, be obliged to contend against the feelings and 
actions of some parents, as well as pupils ; so that the 
good lessons and instructions of the school-room will 
require constant repetition, from the fact that they are, 



KNOWLEDGE AND APTNESS TO TEACH. 29 

INFLUENCES OUT OF SCHOOL-ROOM. 

often, worse than obliterated by fire-side or street influ- 
ences. As, in walking by the sea-side, our footprints are 
washed away by the dashing wave, so are the salutary 
impressions made upon the minds of children, in the 
school-room, frequently efiaced by the untoward influ- 
ences by which they are surrounded while out of school ; 
and it will require no small amount of patience and 
perseverance, on the part of the instructor, to renew the 
efforts to make them more permanent. 

We have said that the instructor is often obliged to 
contend against home and street influences. This is true 
in more particulars than many at first imagine. Let us 
take an instance. A pupil, in speaking, makes use of 
a sentence strictly and plainly false in its syntax, and 
is rectified by the teacher ; yet he will continue to com- 
mit the same error, though corrected for the fiftieth time. 
How difficult, and almost impossible, does the teacher 
find it to get rid of certain mis-pronunciations and un- 
grammatical expressions ! A child will say, for instance, 
''git red," "it is him," "them are," "kittle," &c. &c. 
He will continue to do so, time and again, though cor- 
rected by the teacher as often as the error is committed. 
Now, why is this ? Simply because at home and in the 
streets the child hears the wrong ten times as often as 
he hears the right. 

So it is in many particulars ; and the teacher's patience 
is taxed, almost beyond endurance, in being called upon to 
reiterate the correction. But let him not despair. The 
direction which has been given for the ninety-ninth time 
without effect may accomplish its end if repeated the 
hundredth time. Let the teacher, then, continue cheer- 
fully in his good efforts, and in due time he will receive 
3* 



30 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

INCITEMENT TO PEKSEVERANCE AND FIDELITY. 

his reward. Let him not look with too much impatience 
for immediate fruits of his labors. Seed that has been 
faithfully scattered will, in its proper time, produce 
fruit, and cheer the heart of the diligent sower ; and so 
'' he who goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, 
shall, doubtless, come again with rejoicing, bringing his 
sheaves with him." 

Does the teacher need any further inducement ? "Is 
it not sufl&ciently solemn for him to remember that 
each child he trains is. Providence sparing his life, to be 
a man; — freighted with imperishable hopes, and a cer- 
tificate of eternal existence from the great God of the 
universe himself? They are now lingering in the cool 
and early shade on the edge of the field of life. They 
wait the teacher's directing care, ere they go forth into 
the sun and storm and battle of life, and make a solemn 
and decisive throw in the game of destiny. Teachers are 
often reminded that those they train may become rich 
men, and senators, and governors. But, ! how much 
more thrilling to remember that each child educated is 
to stand up in the great army of living ones, a man, in 
God's image, with -human sympathies, and attachments, 
and responsibilities ; — that he is to love and be loved, to 
be a neighbor to somebody, a citizen, a friend, and, either 
to honor or dishonor, act some part in the great drama 
of life!"* 

* W. C. Goldthwait 



CHAPTER IV. 

CANDOR AND TRUTHFULNESS. 

There is, in the community, too strong a feeling and 
taste for something marvellous and astonishing. With 
many, simple truth has no power, no beauty, no attrac- 
tion. Hence there is a disposition to magnify and embel- 
lish every narrative and circumstance, so that matters 
which, as presented by some, appear perfectly wonderful 
and astounding, are, when divested of all their embel- 
lishment, as much changed in their aspect as the bird of 
paradise would be if stripped of all his gay plumage. 

With some it would seem a thing well-nigh impossible 
to speak the plain, unvarnished truth. They must 
always add a certain number of qualifying words and 
phrases, which are, often, so extravagant as to mystify 
and misdirect. Hence it happens that miserable quacks 
and travelling mountebanks are enabled to gain a ready 
admittance to the pockets of those from whom the mis- 
sionary collector or the virtuous and honest poor would 
find it an arduous task to obtain a few farthings. How 
many, under the influence of exaggeration and unusual 
excitement, will freely give five or ten dollars for the 
amusement of a passing hour, who would go mourning 
many days, if obhged to give as much to the cause of 
education, or to any other useful and praiseworthy ob- 
ject ! The teacher should strive, in every proper man- 



32 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

COURTEOUSNESS. — UNDUE FORWAKDNESS. 

ner, to form in the minds of the young a just apprecia- 
tion of, and regard for, truth, honesty, and simphcity. 

COURTEOUSNESS. 

It is to be feared that the spirit of courtesy is less 
prevalent than it was years ago. In by-gone days, the 
traveller, in any part of New England, was always saluted 
by the boys with the doffing of the cap, accompanied by 
a civil bow, and by the misses with the more modest, 
though not less significant, courtesy. At the present 
day such practices are quite rare. Perhaps the rapid 
growth of our country, and the increase of settlements, 
have tended to make them impracticable. In our thickly- 
settled villages and cities, certainly, the young are par- 
donable for not fostering the habits alluded to ; for a 
due observance of them, in such places, would render the 
wearing of caps superfluous, and keep the body in a 
bending posture much of the time. But it is, doubtless, 
true, that some other expression of civility may be 
adopted, which shall be equally indicative of politeness, 
and, at the same time, unobjectionable in the particulars 
alluded to. 

That more regard should be manifested by the young 
to rules of etiquette and courtesy, must be admitted by 
every observing mind. There is too little reverence for 
age and authority, too shght a respect to laws of both 
man and God. The transition from boyhood to imag- 
ined manhood is altogether too rapid, as by it the son is, 
often, placed above the parent, and the taught become 
much wiser, in their oion estimation^ than their teach- 
ers. Boys, in their undue anxiety to become men, are 
neither men nor boys, but form a new, peculiar race. 



CANDOR AND TRUTHFULNESS. 33 

EFFECT OF POLITENESS. — ANECDOTE. 

It should be a prominent object with parents and 
teachers to correct public sentiment in relation to these 
particulars, and do all in their power, both by example 
and precept, to promote right feeling and action on the 
part of the young. True politeness and courtesy will 
have a pleasing and happy effect upon the whole life and 
character. They will form a passport to good society, a 
security against insult, a surety for good treatment, a 
guarantee for friendship and respect. A really courteous 
boy will rarely be guilty of violating any proper rule, or 
of conducting in an unbecoming manner in any place or 
at any time. 

Some little habits of incivility are of so frequent occur- 
rence, that boys are, sometimes, guilty of their indulgence 
without being aware of it, as in the following instance : 
" A gentleman once sent his son with a present to his 
newly-settled minister. On his return, the father, very 
naturally, asked him how he liked the new pastor. 
'0,' said the lad, ' he is a beautiful man ; he is so 
pleasant and kind that I cannot help liking him. Why, 
he invited me in, took me into his study, and told me to 
look at his books while he wrote you a note. He is 
really " first rate; " but, father, I believe the poor man 
is as "blind as a beetle." ' 'Blind! my son; what 
makes you think he is blind 7 ' ' Why, because, father, 
when I came away, he asked me if I did not wear a cap ; 
and, if he had not been blind, he might have known, for 
it was on my head all the time I was there.' " 

True education requires the full development and free 
exercise of the better feelings of the heart ; and the proper 
culture of these will exhibit their fruits in outward actions 
and expressions. Indeed, we are much inclined to form 



34 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



PLEASING EFFECT OF POLITENESS. 



an estimate of those with whom we meet or associate, 
from their mode of address, and from external appear- 
ances. If they are coarse and rude in their manners, 
rough and undignified in their salutations and remarks, 
or uncourteous and abrupt in their answers, we are dis- 
posed to avoid them, and regard them as unkind and 
uncompanionable. We do not expect to find much that 
is truly attractive or lovely in them ; and if they possess 
some worthy qualities, their first appearance is so repul- 
sive, that we are hardly prepared to receive or witness 
any evidence of real kindness and goodness. Again, we 
meet with those whose dignified and manly demeanor, 
social, cordial, and free manner, combined with genuine 
politeness and civility, at once attract and charm us. In 
every act and expression, they furnish such indubitable 
evidence of good breeding, and so kind and considerate a 
regard for the feelings of others, that we view them as 
noble specimens of a noble race. We can hardly imagine 
that they can, or will, be guilty of any wrong or unmanly 
act. By their pleasant and obliging deportment they 
command the respect and esteem of all with whom they 
associate, and exert a most powerful and happy influence. 
If, then, politeness and civihty will make us more 
agreeable, and better respected as companions, and, at the 
same time, add to our influence and happiness, it is cer- 
tainly very desirable that the young be trained to observe 
them in all their actions and expressions. In giving and 
receiving friendly salutations, in asking and answering 
questions, and in all communications, the proper observ- 
ance of rules of true politeness will demand no sacrifice. 
One boy is asked, by a stranger, the correct way to a cer- 
tam house or street, and abruptly says, " I don't know," 



CANDOR AND TRUTHFULNESS. S5 



TWO BOYS CONTRASTED. 



and with an expression of manner equivalent to ^' I 
don't care." Another lad, in answer to the same inter- 
rogatory, says, '' I don't know, sir ; but, if you will wait 
one minute, I will ascertain and tell you;" and off he 
runs, obtains the desired information, and returning with 
a smiling face, he imparts the same to the stranger, who 
will, by the very act and manner of the boy, feel that he 
is not all a stranger. ^Yho would not, involuntarily, as 
it were, be disgusted with the first lad, and delighted 
with the second? And yet who has not met with just 
such instances in the streets, and even in stores ? Many 
a merchant has lost valuable customers through the un- 
courteous and abrupt answers of clerks or boys in his 
employ. Inasmuch, then, as the true spirit of politeness 
will exert a controlling and salutary influence over the 
young, let the teacher see that he does what he can to 
promote such a spirit in himself and pupils. Especially, 
let him endeavor, in all his intercourse with them, to 
afford an example which will be worthy of imitation. 



CHAPTER V. 

CLEARNESS AND INGENUITY. 

All know that many of the exercises of the school- 
room are, in themselves, dull and uninteresting. It 
should be a prominent object with the instructor so to 
illustrate and expand each exercise, as to vivify it and 
make it both clear and interesting. He should not be 
confined to the stereotyped text of the book, but should 
e^ideavor, by his own language, and by apt illustrations, - 
to add to the attractiveness and utility of the passing 
recitation. Scholars, very frequently, repeat words and 
phrases without any well-defined idea of their true import. 
' 'A gentleman recently took up an apple, to show a niece, 
sixteen years of age, who had studied geography for 
several years, something about the shape and motion of 
the earth. She looked at him for a few minutes, and said, 
with much earnestness, ' Why, uncle, you don't really 
mean to say that the earth turns round, do you 1 ' ' Cer- 
tainly ; did you not learn that several years ago ? ' 
'Yes, sir,' said she; 'I learned it, but I newer knera 
it before.' Now, it is obvious that this young lady had 
been laboring several years on the subject of geography, 
and groping in almost total darkness, because some kind 
friend did not show her, at the outset, by some famihar 
illustration, that the earth actually turned round." 

The instructor should not only have a clear understand- 



CLEARNESS AND INGENUITY. 37 

THE NOVEL PLANETARIUM. 

ing himself, but he should also be able to impart the same 
to his pupils. If he has occasion to allude to the rotun- 
dity of the earth, of its revolution as causing day and 
night, let him devise some simple method which will 
illustrate what is intended. With a little skill and 
interest, the judicious teacher may, and will, use some 
explanation which will help enlighten and confirm the 
subject under consideration. 

We have, somewhere, seen an account of an original 
method adopted by a schoolmaster " out west " to repre- 
sent a planetarium. He caused the largest and laziest 
boy in his school to take his stand in the centre, to rep- 
resent the sun ; and around him, upon the floor, were 
marked the orbits of the different planets. A small, 
reG?-headed boy was made to represent Mars, while a 
bright-eyed girl, a little larger, stood for Venus ; another 
boy was Mercury, another the Earth, &c. &c. ; and 
each was placed in the appropriate orbit. When all was 
properly arranged, the master would give all the planet 
representatives a start ahead, and at once the whole 
planetarium was in motion, and imparting to the mem- 
bers of the school a tolerably good idea of the solar 
system, — thus combining amusement and exercise with 
the study of an intricate and difficult science. It is not 
pretended that this was the very best and clearest illus- 
tration that could be devised ; but who will not readily 
admit that it Avas much "better than nothing"? Let 
not the teacher, because he cannot give the very best 
plan, refrain from all plans ; but let him strive so to 
combine clearness and simplicity in his methods of ex- 
planation, that everything may be easily comprehended 
by the minds of the young. Overwrought and elaborate 
4 



38 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

INDIVIDUALITY. TEACHER NO COPYIST. 

illustrations often mystify the very object they were in- 
tended to elucidate and simplify. 

INDIVIDUALITY. 

There is, probably, nothing which tends so much to 
prevent 'the development of rare excellence in teaching, 
as the habit of relying too much upon the experience of 
others, or of exclusive imitation in the modes of teaching 
and disciplining a school. Young teachers are, partic- 
ularly, tempted to follow in the steps of those who have 
devoted many years and much attention to the business 
of instruction. This is all well enough, if the effort to 
imitate others is not carried to such excess as to destroy 
all individuality. Teachers — whether of limited or large 
experience — should ever be ready and willing to learn. 
They should possess a teachable spirit, and endeavor to 
draw instruction from all proper sources. If otherwise, 
they will grow wise only '' in their own conceit." But, 
while gaining this knowledge, the teacher should be ex- 
tremely careful that he does not allow himself to become 
a servile copyist. As he witnesses a mode of imparting 
instruction, or of disciplining, which appears to him per- 
fect, he must not think that the same mode will prove 
equally efficacious or satisfactory in his own hands, or in 
his own school. Such can be the case only when there 
is a precise similarity between the teachers, and a close 
resemblance in the circumstances of the two schools. 
But, as no two schools and no two teachers exactly resem- 
ble each other, so the precise operation of an unvarying 
plan, or system, will not always produce the same or 
equally gratifying results. 

Every school must have some system, and every 



CLEARNESS AND INGENUITY. 39 

SOURCES OF INFORMATION. 

teacher, if he would be truly successful, must be, to some 
extent, exact and methodical in the execution of his 
plans. But he should be able to make and execute his 
own plans, and adapt them to ever-varying wants and 
circumstances. Unless he can do so, he will never 
excel; for a mere imitator never surpasses the person 
imitated. Yet, while the teacher may extract some 
information from a variety of sources, he should possess 
a (hscriminating and inventive mind, that he may wisely 
select, improve, and adjust, in order most happily and 
effectually to meet existing peculiarities. 

From every teachers' convention or institute ; from 
every visit to another's school ; from every public or 
private discussion of school matters and questions : from 
almost every individual interested in educational affairs, 
— from all these, and from many other sources, the judi- 
cious teacher may, and will, receive many useful hints. 
But what he may thus acquire he must regard and use 
only as suggestive hints, which may in part, or in modi- 
fied form, be incorporated into his own views and plans; 
for if he regards all that he hears as infallible, and, in 
consequence thereof, attempts an exact imitation, he may 
be very sure that disappointment will await him. He 
may follow so far as a similarity of circumstances will 
warrant, and perhaps not much further. A certain med- 
icine, under a certain form of administration, and under 
certain circumstances on the part of the patient, may 
prove highly beneficial, while, under another form, and 
under a different combination of circumstances, it might 
be not only inefficacious, but positively hurtful. The 
truly successful and efficient teacher will be ever ahve to 
obtain such information and aid as will increase his use- 



40 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



R. S. HOWARD ON IMITATION. 



fulness ; but, unless he exhibits some traits of individu- 
ality in the application of his knowledge, he will never 
attain a high degree of excellence. " Let no man copy- 
even himself too closely and constantly ; that is, let him 
vary his plan and mode of teaching a little, from time to 
time, if he wishes to have it work well, and continue to 
interest himself and his scholars. ' Variety is the spice 
of life ;' and surely a little of it is necessary in the too 
often monotonous and humdrum business of teaching 
A horse, it is said, will travel further in a day, over 
liill and valley, than over a dead-level plain ; and we all 
know which would afford the most interesting and attract- 
ive ride. So, in the school-room, a Httle variety in the 
' modus operandi ' will contribute greatly to the interest 
of both teacher and pupils. Therefore, be not afraid to 
deviate a little from the beaten track, and, I repeat it, 
imitate no man servilely ; for I do not believe there is 
any one system of government and instruction which is 
absolutely the best for every individual teacher. I believe 
that every man's own system is the best for him, though 
in forming his plan, and in carrying it into execution, 
he may derive important assistance from the experience 
and suggestions of others." * 

* R. S. Howard. 



CHAPTER VI. 

KINDNESS, GENTLENESS, AND FORBEARANCE. 

Pupils are prone to look to their teacher as an exam- 
ple and pattern, and they will feel safe in imitating him. 
If we except parents, there is no individual whose influ- 
ence on the minds of the young is so strong as that of 
the instructor. Acting, as he does, "in loco parentis," 
he is often regarded with an affection akin to that felt for 
the parents themselves ; and, it would sometimes appear, 
that the kind and amiable teacher exerted a more perfect 
control over his pupils than is exercised by the parents 
themselves. Be this as it may, it is the teacher's duty to 
let his every word and act give evidence that he possesses 
a kind spirit, and feels a tender and sincere regard for 
the wants and feelings of others. He should improve 
every fit occasion for inculcating the laws of kindness 
and enforcing the importance of doing good to all, as 
opportunity may offer. But, that his precepts may not 
fall powerless upon them, he should, in every proper 
manner and on every suitable occasion, seek to do them 
good, and act the part of a true and devoted friend. 
There is much truth in the saying, "Like begets like/"' 
A kind, pleasant, obliging instructor will, as a general 
thing, find kind, pleasant, and obliging pupils; while a 
morose, stern, and scolding teacher will always find 
impatient, fretful, and troublesome pupils. 
4* 



42 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

KIND WORDS. SPEAK GENTLY. 

"Kind words do not cost much; they never blister 
the tongue nor lips, and we never heard of any mental 
trouble arising from this quarter. Though they do not 
cost much, they help one's own good-nature. Soft words 
soften our own souls. Angry words are fuel to the 
flame of wrath, and make it burn fiercely. Band words 
make other people good-natured. Cold words freeze 
people, and hot words scorch them, and bitter words 
make them bitter, and wrathful words make them wrath- 
ful. There is such a rush of all other words in our days, 
that it seems desirable to give kind words a chance among 
them. There are vain words, and idle words, and hasty 
words, and spiteful words, and empty words, and profane 
words, and warlike words. Band words also produce 
their own image on men's souls, and a beautiful image it 
is. They quiet and comfort the hearer. They shame 
him out of his sour, morose, unkind feelings. We have 
not yet begun to use kind words in such abundance as 
they ought to be used." =^ Then, teacher, 

" Speak gently to the little child. 

So guileless and so free, 
Who, with a trustful, loving heart, 

Puts confidence in thee. 
Speak not the cold and careless thoughts 

Which time has taught thee well. 
Nor breathe one word whose bitter tone 

Distrust might seem to tell. 

*' If on that brow there rests a cloud. 
However light it be. 
Speak loving words, and let him feel 
He has a friend in thee ; 

* Pascal. 



KINDNESS, GENTLENESS AND FORBEARANCE. 43 

A SOFT ANSWER. — ANECDOTE OF A QUAKER. 

And do not send him from thy side. 

Till on his face shall rest 
The joyous look and beaming smile 

That mark a happy breast. 

*' teach him — this should be your aim — 

To cheer the aching heart, 
To strive where thickest darkness reigns 

Some radiance to impart ; 
To spread a peaceful, quiet calm, 

Where dwells the noise of strife ; 
Thus doing good, and blessing all. 

To spend the whole of life. 

'* To love, with pure affection deep, 

All creatures, great and small ; 
And still a stronger love to bear 

For Him who made them all. 
Remember, 't is no common task 

That thus to thee is given, 
To rear a spirit fit to be 

The 'habitant of heaven." 

\ Nothing is more true than that " a soft answer turneth 
away wrath;" and gentleness of spirit and expression 
has a most happy influence. The following case is quite 
illustrative of this position : A merchant in London had 
a dispute with a Quaker respecting the settlement of an 
account. The merchant was determined to bring the 
question into court, a procedure which the Quaker ear- 
nestly deprecated, using every argument in his power to 
convince the merchant of his error ; but the latter 
remained inflexible. Desirous of making the last effort, 
the Quaker called at the house of the merchant, one 
morning, and asked the servant if his master was at 
home. The merchant, hearing the inquiry and knowing 
the voice, called aloud from the top of the stairs, " Tell 



44 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

ANECDOTE. — CHEERFULNESS. 

that rascal I am not at home ! " The Quaker, looking 
up towards him, calmly said, "Well, friend, God put 
thee in a better mind." The merchant was affected by 
the meekness of the reply, and, after more deliberately 
investigating the matter, he became convinced that he 
was wrong and the Quaker right. He requested to see 
him, and, after acknowledging his error, he said, "I 
have one question to ask you : How were you able with 
such patience, on various occasions, to bear my abuse 7 " 
"Friend," replied the Quaker, "I will tell thee." I 
was naturally as hot*and as violent as thou art. I knew 
that to indulge this temper was sinful, and I also found 
that it was imi^rudent, I observed that men in a pas- 
sion always speak very loud, and hence I thought, if I 
could control my voice, I could restrain my passion. I 
have, therefore, made it a rule never to suffer my voice to 
rise above a certain key ; and, by a careful observance of 
this rule, I have, with the blessing of God, entirely mas- 
tered and subdued my naturally impetuous temper." 
The Quaker reasoned philosophically, — and others may 
profit, as the merchant did, from his example. 

CHEERFULNESS. 

• 

If the teacher regards faithfully the precepts already 
named, he will feel cheerful ; and it is highly desirable, on 
his own account, as well as for his school, that he should 
thus feel. " Cheerfulness and kindness, like the sun, 
warm and animate ; and there is that in the heart of 
every child that never fails to respond to it. When a little 
fellow enters school in the morning, with his eyes spark- 
ling with animation, and his face smiling with pleasure, 
the teacher should repay with an approving smile, and 



KINDNESS, GENTLENESS AND FORBEARANCE. 45 

THE EFFECT OF A CHEEKFUL COUNTENANCE. 

then he will be happy for the day. But if, on the con- 
trary, he is met with a frown, a warm little heart, gush- 
ing with tenderness, is chilled and frozen." How much 
do the cheerful and cordial tones, gentle movements, and 
friendly greetings and aids, of a father or mother, a 
brother or sister, do towards making home happy ! So, 
too, how much may an instructor do to make the school- 
room attractive, by wearing a cheerful countenance, by 
using gentle tones, and by manifesting kindly feelings 
and sympathies ! How quickly and surely will the 
pupils of a school learn to read in their teacher's counte- 
nance, as he enters the school-room, what will be the 
nature and condition of movements through the day ! 
In the words of Goldsmith, 

'• Well do the boding tremblers learn to trace 
The day's disasters in his morning face." 

Is it not true that teachers are, often, too stern and precise 
in their movements ? Some one has said of a teacher, 
that he wore a countenance which seemed to say, like the 
Old Farmer's Almanac, "Look out for a storm about 
this time," and with more certainty that the prognosti- 
cated storm would come than attends the prediction of 
the almanac. Now, if teachers would have happy and 
pleasant schools, they must be cheerful, ready to smile 
at any time themselves, and not umvilling to provoke 
laughter in their pupils. "Gentleness and cheerfulness 
form a sort of sweet atmosphere, which enters into a 
child's soul like the sunbeam into a rose-bud, — slowly, 
but surely, expanding it into beauty and vigor." 



CHAPTER VII. 

COMMON SENSE AND KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN 

NATURE. 

One may have at his command all the information 
contained within the covers of all the books ever pub- 
lished, and yet he will be, comparatively, a useless man, 
unless he exercises good sense and discrimination in the 
use of his knowledge, and, at the same time, possesses that 
understanding of human nature that will enable him to 
use and apply his information at the right time, as well 
as in the best way. In other words, he should know 
how, and when, and where, he can most wisely, accepta- 
bly, and efficiently, impart the desired instruction or influ- 
ence. The teacher must take things as he finds them, 
and strive to improve them ; and not, as is too often the 
case, by looking at things as he would desire to 
have them, so far separate himself from the real as to 
annul his influence and power in attempting to bring 
about the desired state of afiairs. But let the instructor 
look at afiairs as they are, all discouraging and objection- 
able though they be, — let him, by examining into the 
true state of matters as they exist, ascertain what diffi- 
culties, and obstacles, and prejudices must be surmounted 
or removed, before his efibrts to draw upward can have a 
full and direct bearing. After a little preparatory exam- 
ination and labor at the foundation, he may ascend, and 
draw his pupils after him. Who has not seen men stand- 



COMMON SENSE. 47 



COMMON SENSE AND INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER. 



ing at a distance, and vainly striving "\yith all their 
might " to move some object to which they had attached a 
cord ? After much toiling and fretting at a remote point, 
a near approach to the object brought to view some trifling 
obstacle, whose removal was easily efiected, and then the 
work, previously so impossible of accomphshment, was 
readily performed. So it is, frequently, with some 
teachers ; they stand so far from the work to be exe- 
cuted that they do not observe the real nature and 
extent of the difficulties that cluster around it, at its 
very foundation. In taking charge of a school, the 
instructor should gain all possible information in relation 
to the parents for whom he is to labor, and with whom he 
should have a most friendly and cooperative spirit. He 
should learn what he can of their habits, their feelings, 
their prejudices, and their opinions ; and then, with an 
enlarged and common-sense view of matters as he finds 
them, he should labor wisely and perse veringly to rectify 
errors and efiect a right feeling and action ; and, without 
manifesting aught of an impatient spirit, let him " learn 
to labor and to wait." 

This common-sense view of things, and this knowledge 
of human nature, are no less desirable and important in 
the treatment and management of pupils than in refer- 
ence to parents and guardians. The teacher should care- 
fully study the characters, dispositions, habits, and influ- 
ences of different pupils, that he may the better discipline 
and instruct them ; otherwise, he may sometimes widely 
err. No two pupils are precisely alike, and hence no 
precise and undeviating course of discipline should be 
adopted, but a constant effort should be to have an 
adaptedness to individual circumstances and wants. 



48 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

PERSONAL TRAITS. GENERAL INFORJIATION. 

Hence, the instructor "must avail himself of every 
means to find out all the faults and excellences, the 
strong and weak points, of his pupils' character, — their 
temptations, their predilections, their difficult and easy 
processes. In short, he must study them symptomatically, 
as a faithful and discriminating physician does his pa- 
tientSy to know what they are, what they may become, 
and what ought to be done for them." ^ 

GENERAL INFORMATION. 

The remark is frequently made, that teachers are too 
seclusive in their habits, too exclusive in their views, and 
too sensitive in their feelings, and not sufficiently ac- 
quainted with the world and its operations as existing 
around them. "Mr. A.," it is said, "would make a 
most excellent and efficient teacher, if he would only min- 
gle more with the people, and acquire more accurate 
knowledge of matters and things in general." And it 
must be confessed that, in many cases, there is too much 
of truth in the observation. To do well in the world, 
and exert the greatest amount of influence, the instructor 
should possess a familiar knowledge of general afiairs. 
He should know something of the business community, 
with its various devices, tricks, and deceptions, that he 
may impart to his pupils a suitable degree of cautious 
prudence, to prepare them properly to encounter the 
temptations and treacherous arts with which they will 
surely meet when they take their stand on life's busy 
stage. He should also possess an acquaintance with the 
manners and customs of society, and the rules of etiquette 

* Joseph Hale. 



GENERAL INFORMATION. 49 



THE EXHAUSTING NATURE OF THE TEACHER'S WORK. 

and propriety, that his own deportment and conversa- 
tion, improved thereby, may have a happy effect on the 
minds of his pupils, and aid them in becoming useful and 
agreeable members of the community. He should be 
familiar with the various civil, religious, hterary, and 
benevolent movements of the world, that he may the bet- 
ter discharge his duties, and secure the higher respect of 
those with whom and for whom he labors. 

"But," say some, "while we admit the truth and 
feel the importance of what you say, we at the same time 
feel that the present situation of the instructor debars 
him from the attainment of the information and privileges 
alluded to." This is, too often, the case. So large a 
part of the teacher's time and energies is engrossed by 
the peculiar cares and exercises of the school-room, and 
the nature of his duties is such, that he is unfitted for 
spending the few leisure hours he may have, profitably, 

; by participating in the common concerns or amusements 
of the day. He may, every morning, resolve upon cer- 
tain plans of operation for the hours of evening : but the 

■ care and air of the school-room are sure so to prostrate 
and exhaust him as to incapacitate him from engaging 

j heartily in anything but rest. 

"And, moreover," say some, "the vast majority of 

I teachers cannot afford to participate, respectably, in the 
social, literary, benevolent, or civil operations of the day. 
If they are young men, just entering the profession, they 
will find the scanty remuneration they receive hardly 

1 adequate to supply their absolute and immediate wants ; 

' and if one has a family dependent upon his efforts and 
resources, still more difiicult will it be for him to devote 
any time or means to affairs not immediately con- 
5 



50 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

A DESIRE TO DO GOOD, A LEADING MOTIVE. 

nected with the peculiar duties of his profession." But 
I will only add that teachers must labor patiently in 
every "good way and work," — labor, it may be, under 
disheartening circumstances, but in the hope of a " better 
time coming" — a time which their well-directed efforts 
may hasten on, — a time which will honor and reward 
them, and bless the community. 

*' Let us, then, be up and doing. 
With a heart for any fate ; 
Still achieving, still pursuing. 
Learn to labor and to wait.** 

A DESIRE TO DO GOOD, AND HOPEFULNESS. 

That instructor who would be truly useful, and do 
something to elevate his chosen profession, must not labor 
solely for the passing time, nor for present popularity 
and favor. They who devote much of their attention, 
and bestow many of their thoughts, upon a preparation 
for some exhibition or ephemeral show, may gain a tem- 
porary elevation ; but if this is more prominent in their 
minds than a desire, strongly felt, and sincerely and 
clearly manifested, to do good^ by striving to prepare 
their pupils "to act well their parts in life," the eleva- 
tion thus gained will only constitute a height from which 
fall will be inevitable and disastrous. 

If teachers would gain a true and permanent eleva- 
tion, they must, with unwearied zeal and diligence, exert 
themselves so to instruct and discipline those committed 
to their charge that they will become exemplary and use- 
ful citizens when they assume their stand on the busy 
stage of life. 

Let the teacher well consider the high and responsible 



A DESIRE TO DO GOOD. 61 

THE WORK TO BE PERFORMED. 

nature of the duties incumbent on him. The youth, 
intrusted to his care and training, are the daily and hourly 
recipients of impressions which will contribute to increase 
their future weal or woe. Then, should he not, by the 
prompt and faithful discharge of every duty, strive to 
make only such impressions as will prove salutary ? Let 
him not think too lightly of the children. The boys, who 
are now so thoughtlessly playing around him, amusing 
themselves in the pursuit of evanescent pleasures by 
engaging, in the exuberance of their spirit, in childhood's 
merry sports, may, in a few brief years, wield a mighty 
influence in the councils of our nation. May they, then, 
"in the days of their youth," receive from parents, and 
those who stand in "loco parentis," such instruction and 
such impressions as will best fit them for the honorable 
and useful discharge of every duty that they may be 
called to perform ! May they be so trained, and so 
influenced, that, whether ' ' the golden bowl be broken 
and the silver cord be loosed" when "life's open- 
ing buds are sweet," or not until the period when the 
" grasshopper shall become a burden," they may leave 
proof that life's measure has been wisely filled, and its 
duties well performed ! Then may teachers and pupils 
anticipate a glorious reward in that ' ' bright world ' ' to 
which they hope to go ; the former deriving never-ceasing 
pleasure from reflecting upon past fidelity towards those 
intrusted to their care, and the latter from a happy con- 
sciousness of having improved their time, and profited by 
all the privileges they had enjoyed, and the instructions 
they had received. The touching sentiment, so beauti- 
fully expressed by the poor Scotch girl, in one of Scott's 
works, should be deeply impressed upon the heart of 



52 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



PLEASING REFLECTIONS ON GOOD DEEDS. 



every teacher : '' When the hour of trouble comes to the 
mind or to the body, or when the hour of death comes, 
that comes to high and low, — then it isna what we hae 
dune for oursells, but what we hae dune for others, that we 
think on maist pleasantly." Let not, then, the teacher 
be unmindful of the nature and value of his work, but, 
appreciating the thought so beautifully expressed by 
Bishop Doane in the following lines, let him " be up and 
doing," with the consciousness that, at some future time, 
reflection upon his ''labors of love" will afford him the 
truest pleasure. 

*' Chisel in hand stood a sculptor-boy, 

With his marble block before him, 
And his face lit up with a smile of joy. 

As an angel-di-eam passed o'er him. 
He carved the dream on that shapeless stone, 

With many a sharp incision ; 
With heaven's own light the sculpture shone, — 

He had caught the angel-vision. 

*' Sculptors of life are we, as we stand 

With our soul uncarved before us. 
Waiting the hour when, at God's command. 

Our life-dream passes o'er us. 
If we carve it then on the yielding stone. 

With many a sharp incision, 
Its heavenly beauty shall be our own 

Our lives that angel-vision." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

« 

CORRECT MORAL PRINCIPLES. 

It is not meant by this that the doctrines and views 
of some particular sect should be countenanced or advo- 
cated. As our public schools are composed of pupils 
from all classes in society, and from families of every 
variety and shade of religious belief, it must appear obvi- 
ous, to every reflecting and reasonable mind, that instruc- 
tion, calculated to favor the peculiar tenets of a particular 
sect, should not be imparted in the school-room. But 
this can form no apology for all neglect of religious 
instruction. There are certain views and principles in 
relation to which there is an agreement on the part of 
the vast majority from all religious societies and orders. 
These are held in common, and may be freely discussed 
and urgently enforced without any objection on the score 
of sectarianism. Among these may be named the duty 
of love to our Creator, an affectionate and obedient regard 
to the wishes of parents, respect for the aged, and pity 
for the erring and unfortunate ; the duties and relations 
that should be observed between brothers and sisters ; 
the kindly nature of the intercourse which should exist 
between members of a school ; obedience to those in 
authority ; and that broad and well-defined sense of right 
and wrong, which so fully and clearly shines out from 
the divine rule which teaches us '^ to do unto others as we 
5* 



64 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

THE BIBLE : ITS PROPER USE. 

would have others do unto us. The strong and faithful en- 
forcement of this last would, itself, constitute the ground- 
work and the superstructure of all the material which it 
might be desirable to bring into the religious element of 
the school-room. And, I ask, if any reasonable and 
reflecting parent will or can object to the free perusal of 
the Holy Scriptures in school, or to judicious and earnest 
instruction on all the points to which allusion has been 
made 7 And, if fidehty and sincerity are manifested in 
reference to these, will not all be done that can be 
desired by any sect, under the existing state of afiairs ? 
It is to be hoped that the day is far distant when an over- 
sensitive regard for sectarian views, and a feeling of jeal- 
ousy towards others, will lead to a total abandonment of 
all religious and moral instruction in our schools. 

I have alluded to the perusal of the Bible in school. 
I am not, however, prepared to assent to the views of 
those who advocate the use of the sacred volume as a 
drill-book in reading. In many particulars, it is true 
that it excels all other books, in affording excellent exam- 
ples in the various styles of expression and reading. 
"The Scriptures contain, independently of a divine ori- 
gin, more true subhmity, more exquisite beauty, purer 
morality, more important history, and finer strains both 
of poetry and eloquence, than could be collected, within 
the same compass, from all other books that were ever 
composed, in any age or in any idiom." ^ 

It is not because the Bible is not full of excellent say- 
ings, and consohng and instructive truths, beautifully 
expressed, that I would object to it as a reading-book, 

* Sir William Jones. 



CORRECT MORAL PRINCIPLES. 55 

EXEMPLARY HABITS AND DEPORTMENT. 

but on the ground that its peculiar origin, and sacred^ 
ness, and beauty, should keep it from being marred by 
the careless blunders of inexperienced readers. The 
Bible should be used in every school, and on every day, 
as a devotional exercise ; but it should be read only by 
the teacher, and by such pupils as are able to read with a 
good degree of fluency and correctness, — and never, in 
public, by those who cannot read without " spelling out" 
and miscalling many of the words. The unsullied bright- 
ness of these " apples of gold in pictures of silver" should 
never be dimmed by a contact too rude and heedless. 

EXEMPLARY HABITS AND DEPORTMENT. 

The young are prone to imitation ; and it would some- 
times seem that they more readily contract those habits 
wliich are not peculiarly attractive and lovely than they 
do those of a more excellent and commendable nature. 
If instructors, in all their intercourse and actions, exhibit 
a strict and rigid adherence to those moral principles 
which should ever influence the good and upright, they 
will do much to inculcate a love for the same in the 
minds of their pupils. If they will, by example and 
precept, manifest a proper abhorrence of every form of 
sin and error ; if they will discountenance wrong and 
oppression ; if they will ever manifest a nice appreciation 
of the rights of others, and duly observe the same ; if 
they will, at all times*, and under all circumstances, ex- 
hibit a kind, forbearing, and courteous manner, — they can- 
not fail of exerting a salutary influence upon those com- 
mitted to their charge and training. The force of exam- 
ple is all-powerful and pervading, and all are, more or 



56 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

INSTANCE OF BAD EXAMPLE. 

less, affected by influences with which they are constantly 
brought into contact. 

A distinguished educator, a few years ago, travelled in 
the western part of our country, for the purpose of visit- 
ing various schools. He called at one, in which the 
teacher w^as seated with his hat upon his head, and a pipe 
in his mouth, attending to a recitation ; and, as the 
smoke rolled from his mouth, it evidently afforded him 
more gratification than aught else within the walls of the 
school-room. Who will not admit that this man was 
imparting, in the most effectual way, lessons in favor of 
smoking and incivility ? Of what avail w ould it be for 
an instructor to speak of the evil and folly of smoking, 
for instance, if he should himself continue to indulge in 
the habit 7 His practice w^ould cry out, in thunder-tones, 
in opposition to his preaching. How can a teacher, with 
any hope of good effect, declaim against the prevalence 
of any wTong or injurious habit, so long as he shall, 
whether publicly or more privately, indulge in the same 7 
It is only from the combined and harmonious force and 
operation of precept and example, that one can reasona- 
bly hope for favorable results. 

The force of habit is exceedingly strong. Some one 
has very wisely said that good or bad habits formed in 
youth generally accompany us through life. If this is 
true (and who can doubt it 7), with what care and ear- 
nestness should all who have anything to do wdth the 
young — and especially teachers — labor for the forma- 
tion of correct and agreeable habits. 

DILIGENCE. 

It is important that an instructor should be diligent, 
both because he may thereby accomplish much, and 



DILIGENCE. 57 



napoleon's plan. DR. ARNOLD. 



because he will, in being so, furnish a good example to his 
pupils. Let him, then, every day and constantly mani- 
fest a spirit of diligence in the prompt and earnest dis- 
charge of all his duties, and he will thus incite in those 
under him an industrious and active spirit. It is not 
easy to over-estimate the amount of work that may be 
accomplished by persevering diligence. Constant em- 
ployment in a useful way will do much to keep scholars 
in a good state of discipline. . " Napoleon used to say, 
' If a dog has a bone to gnaw, he will not bite ;' so, when 
he was emperor, he kept the populace of Paris quiet by 
giving them something to do, and by keeping them dili- 
gently employed upon great public works. Dr. Arnold 
adopted a similar course in the management of his school. 
He would not let his boys be idle, lest they should be 
discontented, and disposed to mischief He was ever 
devising new plans, to create in his pupils, from time to 
time, fresh interest and dihgence in their studies. Every 
experienced teacher knows there was much wisdom in 
this course." * 

* J. Bates, Jr. 



CHAPTER IX. 

NEATNESS AND ORDER. 



The instructor should be a man whose whole appear- 
ance and actions are characterized by a special regard to 
neatness and order. The young are wonderfully, though 
it may be unconsciously, influenced by the appearance 
and movements of those under whose care they pass 
much of their time. If an instructor is guilty of a want 
of cleanliness and neatness in his personal appearance or 
dress, — if he is, in any degree or in any respect, slovenly 
in his habits, or regardless of the rules of propriety and 
order,— his pupils will be very ready to imitate his ex- 
ample, and become the devoted followers of an unworthy 
leader. On the other hand, if a teacher is neat, and 
becomingly careful, in relation to his dress, and personal 
appearance and habits, prudent in his movements, and 
chaste and dignified in his deportment and conversation, 
he will exert a most salutary and powerful influence over 
the minds, the habits, and the speech, of the young beings 
intrusted to his training. In these, and in all other 
particulars, pupils will be very prone to imitate the 
example of him who is placed over them. It is well that 
such is the case ; and it is desirable that the instructor 
should, constantly and strongly, feel that he teaches 
by example, no less than by precept. Indeed, he should 
feel that all his teachings, and all his precepts, will prove 



NEATNESS AND ORDER. 59' 

teacher's example. ILLUSTRATIVE STORY. 

like ^' water spilled on the ground," unless accompa- 
nied and confirmed bj a good example. No teacher can 
reasonably expect his pupils to excel, or exhibit any 
marked improvement, in those particulars in which he is, 
in any manner, deficient. 

The silent, though powerful and expanding, influence 
of example, is so evident, that no one should be employed 
to train the young who is careless in his habits, or regard- 
less of his personal appearance. " What the teacher is, 
in these respects, the pupils will generally be ; and unless 
they see better patterns at home, the standard of the 
teacher will be theirs also. If they see the teacher 
addicted to any habit, they will think it manly to imi- 
tate him. If he smokes, they will be likely to do the 
same. If he spits upon the floor, they will imitate his 
example. If his boots are seldom cleaned, theirs will be 
quite as seldom." The following story will strongly 
illustrate our position. It was taken from the Chris- 
tian Register^ and the incidents took place in a village 
where the teacher was particular in his personal appear- 
ance, and required his pupils to regard theirs. '' When 
he took charge of the school, he noticed that the pupik, 
in muddy weather, were accustomed to enter the school- 
room, and stamp the mud upon the floor ; or carry it to 
their seats, and soil the floor for a large space around 
them. No sweeping could clean such a floor ; and, of 
course, none had been attempted oftener than once a week. 
Determined to make an attempt at reform, the teacher 
obtained a piece of iron hoop, and, nailing one end to the 
door, he fastened the other to a walnut stake that he 
drove into the gi^ound. Every child was required to 
gcrape his shoes before he entered the room ; and the 



60 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



THE RUG. — FLOOR WASHED. 



consequence was, that the true floor became visible 
through the crust that covered it. The next step was, 
to get a rug for the entry ; and a neat farmer's wife 
very readily gave him an old rug, that she could spare. 
It did not take him long to induce the habit of scraping 
and wiping the shoes ; and a lad or a miss, who did not do 
this, was soon noticed by the rest, and made to feel that 
he or she had not done all that was required. Soon after 
the rug was introduced, the teacher ventured to have the 
whole floor of the school-room washed, — not scoured, for 
he had to do it himself, one Saturday afternoon, — and 
washing was all he was competent to do. When the schol- 
ars came, on Monday morning, it was evident they were 
taken by surprise. They had never seen the like before ; 
the very knots in the floor were visible ; and they gave 
several extra rubs and scrapes before they ventured to 
set foot on the beauties so strangely exposed. This is 
ahvays the case ; and we have known a man who exer- 
cised the muscles of his under jaw by chewing tobacco, 
and who would have spirted the saliva, without compunc- 
tion, upon the floor of a school-room, running round a 
carpeted room like a crazy man, to find a place of deposit 
for his filth. So true is it, that neatness beo^ets neat- 
ness, and a nice school-room is better treated by the 
untidy than a neglected one. The teacher thus intro- 
duced one thing after another, taking care not to go too 
fast ; and, although he had no penalty for a breach of 
the rules of neatness, he introduced a public sentiment 
which restrained the pupils more efiectually than the 
rod ; and, as his own example was always made to second 
his rules, the children found no hardship or injustice in 
them. Amongst the scholars, was one little fellow, about 



NEATNESS "AND ORDER. 61 

THE DOOR-SCRAPER. THE SHEEP-SKIN. 

eight years old, named Freddy Gerrish, whose parents 
were poor, and cared but little for appearances, if the 
children had bread enough to eat from day to day. 
Freddy was the oldest of five children ; and, when not 
at school, he was generally minding his brothers and 
sisters, — as the Irish term what we call tending, or tak- 
ing care of them. One day, on his way home from 
school, he found an iron hoop, and, before night, he had 
a scraper at the only door of the house. It so hap- 
pened, that, when his father came home, his boots were 
covered with bog-mud, and, almost for the first time in 
his life, he looked around for something to clean them. 
The scraper that Freddy had placed there was just the 
thing ; and the little fellow was praised for his ingenuity. 
Soon after, a sheep was killed by a dog in a field near 
Mr. Gerrish' s house, and, no one caring for it, Freddy 
offered to bury it, if he might have the skin, which had 
but little wool on it. He borrowed a jack-knife of a 
larger boy, and soon stripped off the skin from the body, 
and then, cutting as large a square out of it as he could, 
he went home, and proposed to his mother to nail it down 
in the entry. This was done, to please Freddy ; and the 
baby was allowed to sit on it until father came home. 
The effect of Freddy's attempt to reform was soon felt ; 
and his mother was no longer heard to say, as she often 
had done, ' It is of no use to sweep ! ' ' Wife,' said Mr. 
Gerrish, one evening, ' your floor is whiter than the 
wall ; I must get some lime, and white- Avash it, for Fred- 
dy's scraper seems to have a tail to it.' The room was 
shining white before another day was passed ; and, as the 
cooking-utensils began to look ill, standing round the 
stove, Mr. Gerrish, who was a good farmer, changed 
6 



62 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

THE NEW SHELVES. FLOOR PAINTED. 

work with a carpenter, and had a set of shelves made, 
with a cupboard under them. One day, after she had 
scoured the floor, Mrs. Gerrish said to herself, ' I wonder 
whether I cannot paint this floor well enough for poor 
people ; for, though a white floor looks well, it is easier 
to clean a painted one.' Freddy was despatched to the 
coach-maker's, to ask what some suitable paint would 
cost. ' How big is your room '? ' said the man, who 
had often noticed that Freddy was never among the boys 
that were doing mischief ' Four times as long as I can 
reach, one Avay, and five times, the other,' said Freddy. 
The man applied the rule to Freddy's arms, and said, 
'It will cost you half-a-dollar.' 'Who is to do the 
painting 7 ' said the man. ' Mother, sir, is going to try, 
because she can't afford to pay for the paint and painting 
too; and she wants to do it before father comes home.' 
' You love her, don't you?' said the coach-maker. 'I 
guess I do,' said Freddy : ' and she loves me, too, be- 
cause I made a scraper at the door like Master Hall's, at 
the school. She says, if it had not been for the scraper, 
she never would have thought of the paint : and we are 
going to stay in the bed-room, or out o' doors, till the 
paint is dry.' ' I see through it,' said the man : ' go 
Home, and tell your mother I will come presently, and 
paint the floor for nothing.' The boy was starting off", 
when the coach-maker recollected that half the charm 
was to consist in the wife's doing the work, and surpris- 
ing her husband with a floor painted with her own hand ; 
and he called the boy back, and asked him if his mother 
had any money. 'A little,' said he ; ' she bought some 
yarn and knit three pairs of stockings while the baby was 
asleep, and sold them.' ' Here is the paint,' said the 



NEATNESS AND ORDER. 63) 

THE BIBLE : HOW FREDDY PAID FOR IT. 

man ; ' I give it to you, my little fellow, because you 
love your mother.' The little fellow's eyes glared with 
astonishment at the idea of possessing so much paint, 
and being paid for so easy a task as loving his mother ; 
and, as the big tears began to roll down his cheeks, he 
said, ' Mother will be able to buy the Bible, now.' 
' What Bible ? ' said the coach-maker, who had become 
interested in the boy. ' The Bible for me to read every 
night and morning, as the master does.' ' I have some 
Bibles to give away,' said the man ; 'and, if you will not 
spill the paint, you may take one under your arm.' ' I 
declare ! ' said Freddy, ' I don't know what mother will 
say to all this. How will she pay you, sir 7 ' ' Would 
you like to do a little work for me, my little fellow ? ' 
' I guess I should,' said Freddy; ' if I was big enough, 
I would work for you ever so long.' ' I want just such a 
scraper at my door as you made your father ; and, if you 
will make me one, I will take it in full pay for the paint 
and the Bible.' ' I can't make one good enough for 
you,' said Freddy, bashfully. 'That is my look-out,' 
said the man : ' so, carry home the paint, and come when 
you can and make the scraper. ' Freddy went home ; 
and; when his mother saw him, with a book under one 
arm, and both hands holding on the paint-pot, she ex- 
claimed, ' Why, Freddy, what have you done 1 I only 
told you to ask the price of the paint.' ' I know it,' said 
Freddy ; ' but the man made a trade with me ; and he is 
to give me all these, if I will make him a scraper for his 
door ; and I am going to do it.' To make a long story 
short, the scraper at the school- door was the making of 
Mr. Gerrish and his family. The entire change of habits 
introduced into their humble dwelling not only led to 



64 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



^1 



WHAT FREDDY DID 'WHEN A MAN. 



neatness and order, but to thrift and comfort. The 
scraper was made for the coach-maker, who continued to 
do a hundred other friendly acts for them. Freddy 
obtained an excellent education, and is an intelligent and 
wealthy farmer ; and, when he built his new house, he 
carefully placed the old scraper by the side of the door, 
as if it were a talisman. Master Hall taught from dis- 
trict to district ; and, being of a slender constitution, his 
health early failed, and he was quietly laid in the church- 
yard of a country town, unconscious that the seed he had 
sown had ever produced any fruit hke that we have 
described. Freddy could never discover his resting- 
place ; but he erected a cenotaph to his memory, near 
the school-house, which he also rebuilt, and, once a year, 
he collects the children of the village around it, and tells 
them the story of the scraper at the old school-door." 



SELF-CONTROL. 



Occasions will sometimes arise in which it will require 
the exercise of no inconsiderable degree of self-govern- 
ment, on the part of the teacher, to refrain from the use 
of harsh expressions and acts. A pupil may be guilty 
of gross misconduct, or of the most provoking impudence, 
and strongly excite the indignant feelings of a teacher! 
Let such an one be dealt with in a decided, though calm 
manner, and let the deserved punishment be inflicted 
more in sorrow than in anger, and it will be doubly 
effective. A parent may come, '' full of rage," to com- 
plain of some real or imaginary wrong done his child,— 
or, more, he may come to inflict, or threaten the infliction, 
of personal chastisement. I say such cases may hap- 
pen; and, in large schools, they will sometimes happen. 



SELF-CONTROL. 65 



SELF-CONTROL IN THE TEACHER. 



A boy will sometimes go home with a statement of his 
grievances so much exaggerated and distorted as to 
induce an over-indulgent and credulous father (who is 
prone to consider his children as infallible) without delay 
to seek the teacher, for "vengeance' sake." Now, 
as he approaches the instructor, "boiling over" with 
wrath, and "full of fight," it will tend to arouse kin- 
dred feelings in the mind of the teacher. But he 
should keep calm, and not cause anger to be increased 
by opposing anger. Let him not forget that "a soft 
answer turneth away wrath," and that "he who ruleth 
his spirit is more mighty than he who taketh a city." 
Let him speak calmly and kindly, giving such corrections 
and explanations as the case may demand, and, in nine 
cases out of ten, the angry man will be subdued, and 
return home "sane and in his right mind," a better 
friend to the teacher, and a more judicious father to his 
children. Let the teacher strive to meet all such cases 
as these with a spirit of kindness and self-control, and he 
will seldom fail of doing good. 

The teacher should also endeavor to form, in his pupils, 
that spirit of calm self-possession which will enable them, 
at all times and in all situations, to conduct themselves 
with true discretion and manliness. 
6* 



CHAPTER X. 

EARNESTNESS, ENERGY, AND ENTHUSIASM. 

Every intelligent being is under the strongest obliga- 
tions to be an active, faithful, and earnest being. The 
very object of his existence demands that he should be 
so. Placed in a world in which sin, ignorance, and 
wretchedness abound, he is, on every hand, urged "to do 
with his might whatever his hands find to do; " and noth- 
ing short of an earnest devotion of heart and hand to 
every good work can give one any reasonable and well- 
grounded assurance that he is acting Hfe's great part 
" wisely and well." And yet it is sad to se% how small 
the number of those who engage in life's great work 
with anything like earnestness ! How sad the thought, 
that, with so many, the chief desire is "a little more 
slumber, a little more folding of the hands to sleep " ! 

If one would be truly successful or useful in any voca- 
tion, he must be an enthusiastic and wide-awake man. 
But in no position is this so true as in relation to the 
business of teaching, and in no situation will a deficiency 
in this respect be more disastrously felt. A teacher is 
surrounded by young immortals, who are the constant 
recipients of impressions from his words, deeds, and looks. 
Their pliable minds may be easily beautified and enno- 
bled, or, more easily, and almost irremediably, marred 
and debased. The teacher cannot move before these 
tender and susceptible minds without exerting some influ- 



EARNESTNESS, ENERGY, AND ENTHUSIASM. 67 

ENKRQY. — PROF. HADDOCK. 

ence ; and, if he is a good man, with a soul inspired for 
his high calling, he cannot fail of accomplishing a great 
and glorious work. 

"Energy is omnipotent. The clouds which surround 
the houseless boy of to-day are dispersed, and he is 
invited to a palace. It is the work of energy. The 
child who is now a beggar in a few years to come may 
stand forth the admiration of angels. Who has not seen 
the life-giving power of energy ? It makes the wilder- 
ness to blossom as the rose, whitens the ocean, navigates 
our rivers, levels mountains, paves with iron a highway 
from state to state, and sends thought, with the speed of 
lightning, from one extremity of the land to another. 
Without energy, what is man? — a fool, a clod." 

Prof Haddock thus speaks : " What the teacher is in 
his general character, his principles of hfe, his personal 
habits, his individual objects, his tastes and amusements, 
his whole bearing and demeanor, has as much to do in 
forming the spirit and shaping the destiny of his pupils 
as his more direct instructions. There is a certain air 
about a man, or, rather, a certain spirit in him, which 
determines, to a great degree, the influence of his whole 
life. It is not exactly what he knows, or what he says, 
or what he does, but a peculiar style of character in all 
these respects, — that which makes him one and the same 
man, everywhere, and upon all occasions. If of the 
right sort, — bright, earnest, open, kindly, full of cheer- 
ful hopes, and ennobled by reverence for truth and love 
of goodness, — this general character is itself a school, a 
model for young ambition, a fountain of good thoughts, a 
silent, insinuating, living stream, nourishing the roots 
and opening the buds of spring. In this character we 



68 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

ENTHUSIASM : SOCEATES' DREAM. 

find the elements of that enthusiasm^ without which 
great things are never done by anybody, in any sphere 
of life — enthusiasm (God in us) — a heavenly, divine 
spirit, moving us to attempt good ends by manly efforts, 
and, with an eye fixed on high objects, to labor earnestly 
and long, with a sturdy heart and cheerful face. 

"It is said of Socrates, the greatest master of ancient 
Greece, that he saw, in a dream, a beautiful white swan 
flying towards him from the altar of Venus, and lighting 
in his lap. In a little time, the bird spread its wings 
again, and, rising into the air, went up, up, till it disap- 
peared in the clear sky. The next day, while relating 
the dream to his pupils, Aristo came, leading to him his 
son Plato. Socrates fixed his eyes upon the lad, sur- 
veyed his broad, high forehead, and looked into his deep, 
clear eye, and exclaimed, ' Behold the swan of. my 
school ! ' He trained the boy, with parental pride and 
parental hopes; and the swan of his school became the 
noblest mind in the Hterature of his country, and has, 
perhaps, impressed its influence more sensibly upon the 
Christian ages than any other uninspired intellect. 
When men are found capable of this enthusiastic interest 
in the education of the young, their price is above 
rubies." 

A dull, monotonous, stereotyped teacher, will have a 
dull, monotonous, and stereotyped school ; while an ear- 
nest, zealous, and enthusiastic teacher will so inspire and 
animate his pupils that they will manifest a deep and 
lively interest in every exercise before them. It is with 
much truth said, "As is the teacher, so will be the 
school." Teacher and pupils will, to a great degree, act 
and feel alike ; and the kind, active, and zealous instructor 



EARNESTNESS, ENERGY, AND ENTHUSIASM. 69 

EXTRACT FROM MR. BATES' LECTURE. 

may gain an almost unlimited influence over the minds 
and feelings of his pupils, and lead them cheerfully- 
onward and upward in the paths of wisdom and virtue ; 
while, on the other hand, a dull and lifeless teacher w411 
drag his pupils down to depths of apathy and listlessness, 
from which it will be no easy task to draw them forth 
again. " 

If a teacher feels a deep, lively, and abiding interest 
in the duties of his profession, he will succeed in awak- 
ening a corresponding interest on the part of his pupils 
and their parents ; and, when teacher, parents, and pupils, 
are all actuated by a spirit of earnestness, energy, and 
true enthusiasm, in relation to school duties, we may 
expect progress and improvement of the most gratifying 
nature. 

If the teacher rightly appreciates the nature and mag- 
nitude of his work, he will possess a spirit of true ear- 
nestness and enthusiasm. Let the teacher carefully 
weigh his duties, that he may rightly prepare to perform 
them. In the words of another,* " Let him daily enter, 
with fresh preparation, with interest, with energy, with 
the spirit of love, and a sound mind, upon his labors. 
Let him, at all times, feel that principle of love, and that 
sincere devotion to his profession, which are to be re- 
garded as the sign and measure of high souls, and which, 
wisely directed, will accomplish much. His calling is 
honorable, and his labors will be felt and appreciated if 
he is faithful. Let him not be satisfied with his past 
success nor with his present attainments. Let his motto 
ever be onward and upward. Let him also be impressed 

* Joshua Bates, Jr. 



VO COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



AN EXTRACT. 



with the vast importance of his office. He deals with 
mind. He is called to educate immortal beings. He is 
stamping upon their souls impressions that will endure 
' when the sun shall be blotted out, and the moon and 
stars shall withdraw their shining. ' Should there be given 
to each teacher a broad tablet of polished silver, upon 
which he were required to inscribe some sentiment, to be 
read by thousands on earth and bj angels in heaven, he 
would tremble in view of the important duty ; he would 
desire that the sentiment might be truthful and wise, and 
such as would be approved above. Now, there are placed 
in the hands of every teacher many tablets,— not, indeed, 
of silver and gold, but tablets that shall endure when sil- 
ver and gold shall have perished,— the immortal tablets 
of youthful minds. Upon these teachers are inscribing 
principles and sentiments, which thousands of their fel- 
low-men will read with grief or joy, which all the angels 
of light will one day look upon with tears, or behold with 
exultations of joy." 



CHAPTER XI. 

JUDGMENT AND PRUDENCE. 

The instances in which it will be necessary for an 
instructor to exercise sound judgment and prudence will 
frequently occur. He will sometimes be placed in situ- 
ations in which he must act with great promptness and 
decision. He will have no time to consult others, and 
weigh opinions. He must judge quickly, and execute 
without delay. Now, in such cases, it must be evident 
that a teacher will sometimes fail of deciding upon the 
best course, or of acting in the most judicious manner. 
This must, of necessity, be so. But, while he cannot be 
expected always to adopt the wisest plan, it may be 
expected that he will not utterly fail, by pursuing a 
course entirely destitute of prudence. If the discipline 
of a pupil requires his attention, he should so manage 
that his purpose may not be frustrated by any impru- 
dent act or word of his. Let him so view all circum- 
stances, that he may, as nearly as possible, say and do 
the right thing in the right way, and at the right time. 
So, in regard to lessons, much judgment and discretion 
will be called for in deciding upon the capacity of schol- 
ars, and the proper adaptation of lessons to the same. 
With the exercise of good judgment and wise prudence, 
a teacher of ordinary qualifications may accomplish 
much ; without them, one of superior attainments, in 
other particulars, may utterly fail of success. In many 



72 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

SYSTEM AND PUNCTUALITY. 

situations, and under many circumstances, it will be 
necessary for teachers to be as "wise as serpents and 
harmless as doves." 

SYSTEINIATIC AND PUNCTUAL. 

Every teacher, who would reasonably hope for good 
results, must have method and system in the arrange- 
ment and execution of all the exercises of the school- 
room. Wisdom in planning, and skill in performing, are 
the two great and essential elements of success in any 
undertaking, and emphatically so in the school-room. 
One of the first things for a teacher to do, on taking 
charge of a school, is, to ascertain what studies can be 
most profitably pursued, the amount of time that can be 
given to each exercise, and the best time in the day for 
attention to particular lessons. After classifying his 
school, he should decide upon the precise time at which 
each lesson shall be recited, so that scholars may always 
know when to be prepared. This will have a good efiect 
upon the habits of the pupils, and -be indispensable to the 
good order and progress of the school. 

In commencing and closing school, in the time for 
recess, in the hearing of recitations, and in all the exercises 
of the school, there should be a special reference to punc- 
tuality and promptness. If the teacher errs but a trifle 
in these particulars, the pupils will be sure to deviate 
more. The best good of pupils, at school, and all through 
subsequent life, will be greatly promoted by the forma- 
tion of firm habits of promptness and regularity. Without 
them, no man ever succeeded in rising to an exalted posi- 
tion of influence and usefulness ; with them, thoroughly 
fixed and observed, it will be difiicult to assign limits to 
progress and achievements. Teach the young to 



INDEPENDENCE. 73 



ANECDOTE OF THE QUAKER. 



'* Act, — act in the living present. 
Heart within, and God o'erhead ! " 

Teach them scrupulously and exactly to regard every 
engagement, and never to give the slightest countenance 
to that miserable, time- wasting custom, of saying, " It is 
eight until it is nine." 

On a certain occasion, it was necessary that ten men 
should meet at a particular hour, for consultation on 
some important business. Nine of the number were 
punctual to a minute. The tenth came fifteen minutes 
after the time, and apologized for having lost so many 
minutes. '^ Friend," said a Quaker, who was one of the 
number, "thee can do as thee pleases with thine own 
time, but thee has no right to waste the time of others. 
In losing fifteen minutes of thy time, for which thou art 
accountable to God, thou hast caused the same loss of the 
time of nine men, to which thou hadst no possible claim." 

INDEPENDENCE. 

By independence, I would not be understood to mean 
that degree of rashness which prompts one to be entirely 
i^gardless of the feelings and opinions of others, nor that 
capriciousness which leads one to find fault with every- 
thing that does not precisely accord with his preconceived 
notions or present wishes, — nor yet that spirit which 
induces one to say smart and sharp things. Rash and 
censorious men may have many very excellent qualities 
and practical views; but they often defeat their own 
objects by the imprudence of their acts, or harshness of 
their expressions. Seeing things in a particular light 
themselves, they are too ready to condemn all who difier 
from them in any degree, — hardly admitting that vari- 
7 



74 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



THE ILLITERATE CLERGYMAN. 



ant views can be entertained with the slightest sincerity or 
honesty of purpose. Such men frequently cause trifling 
differences to increase, and alienate the best of friends. 
Some men are in the habit of forming their opinions not 
so much to accord with the exact truth, as to agree with 
what they really desire to have true ; and hence they are 
apt to regard that as heaven-born truth which chimes in 
with their peculiar views, though it may be heaven-wide 
of real truth or justice. 

There is another class of men who seem to congratu- 
late themselves that they succeed without those aids 
which are so common and essential. They boast of their 
independence of all human agencies, and, under pretence 
of ascribing their imagined success to a higher power, 
really feel that they are above all power. A learned 
clergyman was once thus accosted by an uneducated 
preacher: "You, sir, have been to college, and to the 
theological school, I believe." "Yes, sir; I have been 
favored with their privileges >" "I am thankful," said 
the illiterate one, " that the Lord has opened my mouth 
to speak without any learning." "A similar event," 
said the other, "took place in Balaam's time; but such 
things are of rare occurrence at the present day." It is 
not for such independence that I would plead ; and such, 
it is to be hoped, teachers will never feel. 

But by independence I mean a firm and courteous 
adherence ^o, and maintenance o/, certain inalienable 
rights and privileges, — a manly decision, as the result 
of candid and deliberate examination. We live and labor 
in an age of change, — perhaps I may say a very notional 
age. On matters pertaining to education there is, cer- 
tainly, no lack of variety of opinion. Almost every man 



INDEPENDENCE. 75 



THE MOST IGNORANT SOMETIMES MOST OPPRESSIVE. 

thinks he knows all about teaching, though no two think 
exactly alike. Those who know the least are often most 
ready to bind grievous burdens upon teachers, and yet 
have no disposition to lend a particle of aid in bearing 
the sanje. Under such a state of affairs, it is extremely 
desirable that the teacher be truly intelligent, wisely 
independent, and courteously decided ; ever open to con- 
viction, and yet willing to have others entertain an hon- 
est diffei;pnce of opinion. 



CHAPTER XII. 

A PROFESSIONAL FEELING AND INTEREST. 

It has often been said that teachers were too seclusive 
and exclusive in their feelings and efforts. There has 
been some truth in this. They have been too prone to 
confine their interest and labors as teachers to the school- 
room, almost regardless of the nature of the views and 
influences that existed in the community around them. 
They have been too ready to cast upon members of other 
professions work that seemed peculiarly to belong to 
themselves. Hence it is, that, until quite recently, the 
leading men in public educational movements have been 
those not engaged in teaching, — good men and zealous 
men, who have felt constrained to act, because they saw 
no suitable action on the part of those who should feel 
most interested, and be most active. 

But the true interest and highest success of any pro- 
fession will be best promoted by an active and leading 
interest on the part of its own members. " The true 
teacher will hold himself ready for every word and work 
which tends to bring his profession into esteem, and to 
place it in its proper light before the world. He will 
magnify his office and honor it, and so make it honorable. 
He will regard with indifference nothing which relates to 
his chosen profession. He will make it a point to keep 
himself informed in relation to its state and improve- 



PROFESSIONAL FEELING AND INTEREST. 77 

TEACHERS SHOULD LABOR FOR THEIR PROFESSION. 

mentSj both at home and abroad ; and, when solicited to 
contribute to the support of a publication devoted to the 
interests of his profession, he will not refuse, with cold 
indifference, his aid and influence. Nor will he disdain 
to meet his brethren in the teachers' convention, as if he 
were perfect, and needed no more light and no more zeal. 
He will feel that teachers owe it to their profession to 
assemble themselves together often, both for their own 
individual improvement and for the good of their profes- 
sion."* 

But, while it is urged that teachers should feel an 
esprit de corps, it is also recommended that they should 
feel ready, with' cheerful earnestness, to cooperate with 
others, in every suitable manner, and on every proper 
occasion. When teachers will ^ come up to the faithful 
performance of all their public, as well as private, duties, 

— when they will become truly living and acting men, 

— the cause of popular education will be less encumbered 

with useless theories, and advance with a more healthy 

and efficient tone than it has hitherto done. Let no one 

stand aloof, and feel that he can do nothing, or that his 

efforts will be of no avail ; for every one can do something. 

They who have one talent, no less than those who possess 

ten, have duties to perform, and they cannot disregard 

or slight them with impunity. May all teachers adopt 

the beautiful language and sentiment of the poet, and 

say, 

" Let us, then, be up and doing. 
With a heart for any fate ; 
Still achieving, still pursuing. 
Learn to labor and to wait ! " 

* J. D. Philbrick. 

7* 



78 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



DIRECT AND PERSONAL INTEREST. 



A DEEP AND WELL-GROUNDED INTEREST IN HIS WORK. 

An instructor may possess, in a good degree, all the 
qualifications we have named, and yet, if, in addition to 
them, he does not feel a lively interest in his vocation, 
and a love for the young, with a strong desire to do them 
good, he cannot be, in the highest sense, an acceptable, 
efficient, and useful teacher. These last named are 
indispensable in order that those previously named may 
exhibit true vitality and power. One may possess the 
highest conceivable qualifications for the discharge of the 
duties of any situation, and yet accomplish but little, 
if he does not feel a deep interest in his work, in all par- 
ticulars. The clergyman may preach eloquently, but, 
unless he also realizes, in his inmost soul, the full 
power and truth of the gospel preached, and strongly 
desires to promote the best good of those under his 
charge, his labors will be comparatively powerless. The 
lawyer may have a thorough, clear, and exact knowledge 
of all the principles of law, and yet fail of success, unless 
he can enter heartily into the feelings and circumstances 
of his clients, and be able to impress a jury with the con- 
viction that he is laboring heartily for truth and justice's 
sake, rather than for mere fees' sake. 

So, too, an instructor may have an accurate and 
well-defined knowledge of the various branches to be 
taught, and yet fail to interest those committed to his 
care and training. In the words of another, " No cynic, 
no hermit, no Diogenes, no cold, speculating philosopher, 
is fit for a teacher. He should have sweetness of dispo- 
sition, afiability of deportment, politeness of manners, 
dignity of person, agreeable colloquial powers, a ready 
and wise adaptation of himself to existing circumstances, 



DEEP INTEKEST. 79 



INCITEMENT TO FIDELITY. 



and a sincere love for his calling, and a strong desire to 
do good." Teacher, have you the qualifications named, 
and do you feel the importance of your work ? If so, 

" Droop not, though shame, sin and anguish, are round thee ! 
Bravely fling off the chain that hath bound thee ! 
Look to yon pure heaven smiling beyond thee ! 

Rest not content in thy darkness — a clod ! 
Work, for some good, be it ever so slowly ; 
Cherish some flower, be it ever so lowly ; 
Labor ! all labor is noble and holy ; 

Let thy great deed be thy prayer to thy God." 

Strive earnestly and constantly so to hve, and so to teach, 
that you may, in life's maturer years, point, with a con- 
scious satisfaction, to a multitude of useful and happy 
men and women, as '^ your jewels." Then will He, who 
approved and blessed your humble and sincere efforts, 
smile upon your declining years, and, by affording a 
hope of a glorious immortality, shed joy-gi\nng rays 
about your pathway to the tomb. 

When Daniel Webster last addressed a vast assemblage 
of citizens in Faneuil Hall, he uttered the following noble 
sentiments : " We seek to educate the people. We seek 
to improve men's moral and religious condition. In 
short, we seek to work upon mind, as well as on mat- 
ter. And, in working on mind, it enlarges the human 
intellect and the human heart. We know, when we work 
upon materials immortal and imperishable, that they will 
bear the impress which we place upon them through end- 
less ages to come. K we work upon marble, it will 
perish ; if we work upon brass, time will efface it. If 
we rear temples, they will crumble to the dust. But, if 

WE WORK ON men's IMMORTAL MINDS, IF WE IMBUE 



80 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

Webster's views. 

them with high principles, with the just fear op 
God and of their fellow-men, we engrave on 
those tablets something which no time can ef- 
face, but which will brighten and brighten to 
all eternity." 

Well may teachers apply the above to their peculiar 
work ; and, while they may feel almost overwhelmed by 
the vastness of their labors, may they derive encourage- 
ment from the important and lasting results of true devo- 
tion and fidelity ! As they are engaged in a glorious 
cause, so will they, if faithful and wise unto the end, 
receive a most glorious reward for all their efforts. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

MEANS OF SELF-IMPROVEMENT. 

No man should feel that he lives for himself alone ; 
but it should be the desire and determination of every 
one so to live that the world may be the better through 
his instrumentality. For the use we make of the talents 
we possess, whether one. two, or ten, we must give a 
strict and accurate account. And, while it is true that 
the obligations of individuals are great at all times, it is 
equally true that they are augmented by every new rela- 
tion that may be assumed. When a person makes choice 
of a profession, and enters upon the discharge of its 
appropriate duties, he at once enlarges his sphere of 
action, and increases his responsibilities. He now owes 
no less to the community, but more to a profession of 
which he has become a member. When one engages in 
the business of teaching, he takes upon himself obli- 
gations of a most important character, — obligations 
which, rightly met, will exalt him in the scale of useful- 
ness, and, in the end, secure to him Heaven's blessing. 
It is, then, the duty of every teacher, to do what he can 
to increase his means of usefulness. He should con- 
stantly aim at a more faithful, intelligent, and efficient 
discharge of the duties devolving upon him ; ever seeking 
to increase his qualifications, and add to his stores of 
knowledge. The duties to be performed are alike ardu- 
ous and important in their nature, and the results of a 



82 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

THK TEACHER SHOULD REGARD HIS HEALTH. 

wise performance of them will be highly beneficial, wide- 
spreading, and far-reaching. With as much brevity as 
may be, I will speak of some of the more prominent 
means of self-improvement. 

1. The preservation of a sound physical constitu- 
tion. 

It is quite desirable that an instructor should possess 
a sound mind, and it is also essential that he should have 
it in a sound body, that both the jewel and the casket 
may deserve and command admiration, and exert a bene- 
ficial influence. How, then, shall a teacher best secure 
a "mens sana in corpore sano " 7 I answer, he must 
strictly refrain from all excesses in the indulgence of his 
appetites and passions, and faithfully regard the rules of 
temperance in all things. In his habits of eating, sleep- 
ing, &c., he should rigidly observe the rules of prudence 
and regularity. For any deviation or excessive indul- 
gence, he will most assuredly suffer himself, and cause 
his school to suffer. Whatever he is, or whatever he 
feels, will, in a good degree, be felt by his pupils. The 
bond of sympathy will exist between teacher and taught, 
and, whenever a teacher manifests a depression of spirits, 
or a morbid sensitiveness, resulting from some excessive 
indulgence, his feelings will affect them. Hence it is, 
that we sometimes witness in a school a general state of 
restlessness and ennui. 

The teacher should observe the greatest precision in 
his habits of exercise, and have a due regard to quality 
and quantity. In reference to this he cannot be too 
particular. The kind of exercise must depend upon cir- 
cumstances. Different constitutions require different 
kinds, — nor will the same kind answer equally well for 



MEANS OF SELF-IMPROVEMENT. 8S 

EDUCATIONAL WORKS SHOULD BE READ. 

the same person, at all times. The teacher must study 
his feelings in relation to this. In all cases, it should 
be such as will cause a desirable degree of action through- 
out the entire system. It should not be so long in con- 
tinuance, nor so violent in degree, as to produce undue 
weariness. It should be taken regularly and judiciously. 
It will not suffice to take in one day a quantity sufficient 
for a week ; but each day demands and should receive its 
due portion. It is of the utmost importance that exercise 
be taken in a spirit of cheerfulness ; for he who takes it 
as a mere duty, and regards it as a kind of drudgery, 
will receive but little benefit from it. Let it, therefore, 
be the aim of the teacher to take proper exercise with 
cheerfulness, to be temperate and systematic in all his 
habits, and he will improve his health, invigorate his 
constitution, animate his spirits, and increase his energies. 
Without these, all other effi)rts for self-improvement will 
prove partially or wholly futile. 

2. Reading and study Ing icorks and periodicals on 
education. 

From the experience^ and even from the theories^ of 
others, one may learn many things ; but he should be 
very careful that he does not become a mere servile imi- 
tator. It is not certain that the successful experience of 
one will prove equally satisfactory in all cases : and much 
less would it be safe to place perfect reliance upon the 
mere theories of others. The teacher, therefore, should 
read, that he may understand ; and so understand that he 
may rightly discriminate, and adopt, or reject, as peculiar 
circumstances may demand. He should aim to enlighten 
his mind, and enlarge his views, by perusing the works 
of others ; but he should use his acquired knowledge in 



84 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

BENEFITS OF READING AND COMPOSING. 

an independent manner, striving to adapt it, as far as 
may be, to his own peculiar circumstances or wants. He 
may draw some valuable thoughts, or hints, from almost 
any work on instruction, though its general tone and 
character may not be such as he would approve. Conse- 
quently, he should read, reflect, think, compare, discrim- 
inate. He must not read much at a time, but so read 
that he may thoroughly comprehend the writer's views ; 
remembering that one is not so much benefited by the 
number of pages and volumes he may peruse, as by the 
mode of reading, and the quality of that which is read. 
It is sometimes the case that a single page of an author, 
carefully perused and pondered, will prove more profita- 
ble than an entire volume of some other author read in a 
careless, or thoughtless manner. 

3. The teacher should frequently commit his 
thoughts to paper. 

The habit of writing out one's views and thoughts is 
a very important one. To know much, or many things, 
without possessing the ability to express or communicate 
the same in a clear and intelligible manner, is worth but 
little. I would, therefore, recommend that the teacher 
should make it a practice often to write out his views on 
some subject, or write an account of what he may have 
read, with his own criticisms in relation to the same. 
In addition to this, it will be well for him, occasionally, 
to write articles for some work on education. This will 
do him good ; and his ai^ticles, if well written, will do 
good to others,— thus causing a two-fold benefit. The 
iitterance of a valuable thought or suggestion may 
prove serviceable to a very limited number, while the 
publication of the same may be productive of a much 



MEANS OF SELF-IMPROVEMENT. 85 

FRIENDLY CRITICISM RECOMJIENDED. 

more extensive good, and for a much longer period. 
Let the teacher endeavor to write often, and to express 
his thoughts so clearly that those for whom he writes 
may readily and fully comprehend him. 

4. If possible^ let the teacher often meet and con- 
verse with some friend or friends^ by whom he may 
be criticized. 

Teachers, not unfrequently, acquire a habit of using 
words and expressions which are not what they should 
be. If these words and expressions were pointed out in a 
pleasant way, by some friendly voice, the effect would be 
highly favorable. It is very desirable that we should, if 
possible, be made to see and hear ourselves as others see 
and hear us ; and this we may do, in a good degree, by 
the help of some confiding and trusted friend. More 
than this. — a free interchange of opinions and feelings 
between those who are mutually interested in each other, 
and in like vocations, cannot fail of producing pleasing 
and profitable results. The teacher, then, should en- 
deavor always to have a few friends to whom he will feel 
free to speak in relation to any improprieties, or inaccu- 
racies of manner, habit, pronunciation, or expression, — 
being equally ready to receive promptings or hints of a 
similar nature in return. Candid and free criticisms, 
given or received in a spirit of friendly candor, will be of 
great service to all concerned. '' Faithful are the wounds 
of a friend." 

5. Teachers^ Associations and Institutes. 

It is quite desirable that those who are engaged in the 

same vocation should often meet together for purposes of 

mutual improvement. Hence the formation of various 

educational associations has tended greatly to improve 

8 



86 COMMON SCnOOL EDUCATION. 

teachers' associations and institutes. 

and elevate the professional character and standing of 
the teacher. But a mere listless attendance upon such 
meetings can do but little good. It should be a leading 
object and desire, of those who attend, to impart some 
valuable thoughts and suggestions to others, while they 
are themselves the recipients of useful hints and ideas 
from others. No one, who possesses the heart and spirit 
of a true teacher, can attend any teachers' meeting, or 
teachers' institute, without gaining many valuable thoughts 
and views. The experience of others may enlighten, 
confirm, encourage, or stimulate him ; and the theories 
of others may prove variously beneficial. Moreover, the 
opportunities which such meetings afford for the cultiva- 
tion of the friendly and social feelings, and for the pror 
motion of a true professional spirit, are of no inconsider- 
able importance. It is alike pleasant and profitable, for 
those of a common pursuit and a common interest, often 
to meet and " hold sweet counsel together." They will 
return to their appropriate positions of labor with fresh 
courage, new impulses, clearer views, and more definite 
aims and designs. " As iron sharpeneth iron, so a man 
sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." 

But, while at such meetings we may listen with interest 
to the various experiences which may be related, we must 
listen with cautious prudence, for experiences often help 
also to prove widely different results. One man may speak 
of certain difficulties which he has encountered and over- 
come by certain processes, while another has done the same 
by very different means. One will tell how completely 
and admirably he has subdued and controlled turbulence 
by continued kindness; and another may cite similar 
cases in his own experience, and affirm that, after 



MEANS OF SELF-IMPROVEMENT. 87 

PLANS OF OTHERS ADOPTED WITH CAUTION. 

kindness had proved entirely ineffectual, the adminis- 
tration of severe punishment had effected the most de- 
sirable and pleasing results. Now, which shall the 
young and inexperienced teacher regard as the course 
to pursue 7 In reply, I would say, follow neither, 
exclusively. With some pupils, and under some circum- 
stances, one course may be preferalile, while a change of 
circumstances would render it far otherwise. Therefore, 
I would not only urge that one should listen with inte- 
rest to all that may be said, but, also, that he should 
adopt with discrimination and caution: and that he should 
never attempt to apply to practice what he may hear, 
only so far as a similarity in circumstances will warrant 
such application. In drawing from the experience and 
wisdom of others, he must not divest himself of all 
individuality, and become a mere passive recipient, or a 
willing tool. His own views and plans may be mod- 
ified by the views and plans of those who are older, but 
he must never adopt, as a whole, the modes of such, 
unless he is convinced that there is a very exact resem- 
blance, not only on the part of himself and his prototype, 
but, also, of the two schools under consideration. 

But I would urge, as another means of professional 
advancement, that teachers in the same town or city 
cultivate each other's acquaintance, and hold occasional 
meetings for the discussion of subjects of a common inte- 
rest. Such meetings will do much towards promoting 
that sympathy and kindly feehng, which should exist 
between members of the same profession, and will also 
afford opportunities for imparting and receiving instruc- 
tion. If any class of men should be united, as in a com- 
mon brotherhood, surely teachers should be so. Let 



88 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



TEACHERS SHOULD VISIT SCHOOLS OF OTHERS. 



each one, then, feel that by every valuable hint he may 
impart to others, as well as by every aid he may receive 
from others, he will be doing something to raise him- 
self and his profession in the scale of usefulness and 
honor. Let all labor, singly and unitedly, to remove 
obstacles, dispel prejudices, enlighten the community, 
and cause the profession to take and sustain an elevation 
to which its true importance entitles it ; and then the 
extent of its influence will be unbounded, the amount of 
its usefulness unsurpassed, and, perhaps, unequalled. A 
share of the work belongs to each ; the blessings^ result- 
ing therefrom, to the world. 

6. Visiting the schools of others, and wit?iessing 
their modes of teaching and disciplining. 

The benefits derived by a teacher, from occasional 
visits to the schools of others, are neither few nor trivial. 
No two teachers are precisely alike in their modes of 
discipline or methods of instruction ; nor is it desirable 
that they should be so. While in all some excellences 
may be found, we can hardly expect to find in any 
one, that rare combination of them which will entitle 
him to the epithet of perfect. To visit the schools of 
others with profit, one should possess a candid and teach- 
able spirit. He must not feel that he has already 
attained the mark of perfection, but that, with all the aids 
at his command, he can only hope for a nearer approx- 
imation to it. Conscious, though he may be, that he pos- 
sesses many qualities of importance to an instructor, he 
must, at the same time, readily admit that others may 
have the same, and, perhaps, some that he does not 
possess. However skilful and successful a teacher may 
be, it will rarely happen that he can find a school in 



MEANS OF SELF-IMPROVEMENT. 89 



BENEFIT OF VISITING SCHOOLS. 



which he can spend a half-day without profit. If he 
shall see nothing worthy of close imitation, he may wit- 
ness exercises which will abound in suo;o;estive hints. 
He may, even, as a spectator, observe errors in a new and 
pecuHar light, which have existed in his own school, as 
it were unnoticed, for a long period ; so true is it that 
the same thing may make a different impression when 
surrounded by a different combination of circumstances, 
or viewed from a new position. Faults may exist, and 
do exist, in most schools, which have been formed so 
gradually and imperceptibly that their existence is hardly 
known. A visit to another school, in which the same 
fault may prevail, and in no greater degree, will present an 
aspect entirely new, and lead the visitor to a more watch- 
ful supervision over his own flock. But, in order that 
these visits may result in good, they should be made and 
received in the spirit of perfect kindness and frankness. 
If a brother teacher calls at my school in order to benefit 
himself, he will wish to have me pursue my own course, 
and allow him to be present merely as a spectator, that, 
if possible, he may profit from any merits I may possess, 
or be made more self-watchful and careful by witnessing 
my errors. If he is a benevolent man, and wishes to do 
good as well as to receive good, he will, in a kindly vvay, 
allude to any defects he may notice, and make any sug- 
gestions which he may think for my good. In this way, 
each may confer and receive benefit. 

7. By ga'mi7ig a knowledge of the various import- 
ant improvements and changes in the community. 

The truly successful and acceptable teacher should 
possess much and varied knowledge. His views on all 
subjects of interest should be so matured and so distinct 
8* 



90 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE. 

that he may readily impart information to others. He 
should, therefore, constantly strive to acquire a thorough 
and definite understanding of the general operations in 
relation to the several departments of society. He should 
study to gain information concerning the civil, religious, 
and literary condition of the various countries of the 
world. The many improvements in the arts and sciences, 
the progress of manufactures, the state of agriculture, 
the interests and condition of the commercial world, 
should be so familiar to him that he may easily and 
clearly impart information of them to others. In fine, 
the teacher, who would look for a hio-h degree of success, 

■" CD ID } 

must improve himself by storing his mind with a variety 
of knowledge on all subjects of a general interest. The 
acquisition of this knowledge will prove highly beneficial 
to him, while its possession will add much to his useful- 
ness and influence. 

I have thus, very briefly, alluded to some of the ways 
in which a teacher may enlighten himself, and become 
qualified for extensive usefulness as an instructor of the 
young. The work before him is an arduous and highly 
responsible one, but in the faithful and judicious per- 
formance of it he will find many pleasant rewards. Let 
it, then, be his earnest desire and constant aim to im- 
prove himself, that he may be the instrument of improve- 
ment to others. Let him labor diligently, — labor heart- 
ily, — labor wisely,— labor hopefully, — and his eff'orts 
will be owned and blessed by the Great Teacher, to whom 
he should unceasingly look for the aid and guidance so 
much needed, and which He alone can grant. 

A beautiful and impressive custom is said to prevail 
among the Swiss herdsmen in the Alpine districts. ''As 



MEANS OF SELF-IMPROVEMENT. 91 

BEAUTIFUL SWISS CUSTOM. 

soon as the sun has disappeared in the valleys, and his 
last rays are just glimmering on the summits of the 
mountains, the herdsman who dwells upon the loftiest 
peak takes his horn and trumpets forth, ' Ruft durch 
Diess Sprachrohr ! ^ — 'Praise God, the Lord!' All 
the herdsmen in the neighborhood, on hearing this, come 
out of their huts, take their horns, and repeat the words. 
This often continues for a quarter of an hour, and the 
name of <jrod and praise to his name are echoed and 
reechoed among the mountains and through the valleys. 
A profound and solemn silence follows ; every individual 
offers his secret prayers on bended knees and with uncov- 
ered head. By this time it is quite dark. ' Good- 
night ! ' trumpets forth the herdsman of the loftiest sum- 
mit ; — ' Good-night ! ' is repeated on all the mountains, 
from horns of the herdsmen and chffs of the rocks, — 
after which, each one lays himself down to sleep." 

And may we not hope for the time when teachers, 
possessed of a high degree of preparation, will, by their 
fidelity and well-directed labors, cause the name of God 
to be praised in the virtue, morality and intelligence, 
which will be generally diffused by their instrumental- 
ity ? Then may they hope for a sweet retirement to that 
repose and reward which await the faithful and devoted 
steward. 

In an address to a convention of teachers, many years 
ago, Pres. Wayland thus spoke of the teacher's profes- 
sion : " What though it do not confer wealth? it confers 
a higher boon — the privilege of being useful. What 
though it lead not to the falsely -named heights of politi- 
cal eminence ? it leads to what is far better, — the sources 
of real power. — for it renders intellectual ability neces- 



92 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



EXTRACT FROM PRES. WAYLAND. 



sary to success. I do verily believe that nothing so 
cultivates the powers of a man's own mind as thorough, 
generous, liberal, and indefatigable teaching. But the 
profession of the teacher has rewards, — rich rewards, 
pecuhar to itself. What can be more delightful, to a 
philanthropic mind, than to behold intellectual power 
increased a hundred-fold by our exertions, talent devel- 
oped by our assiduity, passions eradicated by our counsel, 
and a multitude of men pouring abroad over society the 
lustre of a virtuous example, and becoming meet to be 
inheritors with the saints in light, — and all in conse- 
quence of the direction which we, as teachers, have given 
to them in youth ? What profession has or can have 
higher rewards?" 



CHAPTER XIV. 

TEACHING. 

An instructor may possess every desired literary and 
personal (qualification, and yet fail of producing favorable 
results, unless he wisely comprehends the nature of 
teaching. It is often the case that the teacher performs 
too much of the work that should be performed by his 
pupils. It is sometimes much easier for him to do it 
than it is to cause them to do it. But this does not 
answer the design of education — it is not teaching. It 
is for the best good of the pupils that they be induced to 
depend, mainly, upon their own efforts and resources; 
and it should be a prominent object of the instructor to 
train and discipline them to habits of self-reliance and 
patient thought. In other words, he should strive 
to teach them to learn. He must render some aid; 
but the greater danger is in the excess, and not in the 
deficiency. It is usually the case that one extreme fol- 
lows another. This is true in all departments. It is 
frequently so in educational matters. In past years, 
teachers have sometimes left their pupils too much to the 
words and rules of the text-book. They have explained 
but little, and have not often deviated from the words of 
the book. This was considered an error; and in the 
attempt to produce a change, some over-reached the proper 
bounds, and went much too far. Oral teaching, with 
such, became the only true method of instruction, and 



94 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



THE TRUE OBJECT OF TEACHING. 



text-books were regarded as superfluous articles, if not as 
positive evils. The teacher was to utter words of knowl- 
edge, and the pupils were to receive them ; and those 
who could not teach without books were no longer quali- 
fied for their situations. But we have reason to rejoice 
that, while this exclusive feeling for oral instruction has 
gained but little ground in the community, teachers have 
been induced to give more attention to the general sub- 
ject. Of course, we do not object to a degree of oral 
instruction. Every good and successful teacher will 
make use of it, but he will use it cautiously. The con- 
stant and excessive practice of simplifying and diluting 
every exercise that comes before a class, or encumbering 
it with wordy explanations, only tends to make puny and 
inefficient scholars. The true business of the educator 
is to " draw out" and expand the mental faculties of his 
pupils, and thus superinduce vigor of thought and origi- 
inality of action ; not to think and act for them, but to 
cause them to think and act for themselves. But we 
might almost infer that many regard the mind of a child 
as a sort of passive recipient, into which knowledge 
may be poured, both ad libitum et ad infinitum. Un- 
fortunately, however, such knowledge is inclined to run 
out, and the oft-repeated filling of the receptacle only 
makes it the more certain that the operation will require 
repetition. 

If I mistake not, the correct course is, to induce 
pupils to study their lessons until they shall not only 
commit the substance to memory, but, in a good degree, 
comprehend the principles contained therein, and their 
general application. The teacher's skill should be exer- 
cised in expanding and extending the subject, in order to 



TEACHING. 95 



PUPIL SHOULD RELY UPON HIMSELF. 



test the understanding of the pupils, and, at the same 
time, more clearly to elucidate and confirm the same. 
This may very properly be done by oral instruction. It 
should, however, be imparted in such a manner as to 
elicit the views of the pupils, and awaken thought and 
mental action. Otherwise, a lesson may be explained to 
a class, and, at the time, made apparently plain, and yet, 
if the several members have not, in a great measure, dis- 
covered the ftxcts and principles by their own patient 
application, they will soon forget what has been rendered 
so simple by extraneous aid. There is nothing which 
demands so much skill, judgment, and prudence, in the 
teacher, as the proper mode and extent of rendering 
assistance to his pupils. He must not only know how 
and when to give, but, also, how and when not to 
give, and still inspire a cheerful spirit of perseverance on 
the part of the young aspirant after knowledge. In 
reality, the mind should be so cultivated that it may pro- 
duce^ as well as receive; for, however much it may 
receive, it can accomplish but little real good in the com- 
munity, unless it possesses the power of producing. One 
has very truly said, "It is not that which is done for a 
pupil that is most valuable to him and others, but that 
which he is led to do for himself. ^^ 

The longer pupils can be induced to study and think, 
in the investigation of a truth or principle, the more val- 
uable will it be to them when attained, and their minds 
will be the better prepared to grasp and comprehend 
other and future difiiculties. 

The true nature and design of education are thus beau- 
tifully and forcibly expressed by the lamented Channing, 
and they should never be lost sight of by the teacher : 



96 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

DR. CHANNING's views. 

'' To educate a man, is to unfold his faculties-^ to give 
him the free and full use of his powers, and especially of 
his best powers. It is, first, to train the intellect, to give 
him a love of truth, and to instruct him in the processes 
by which it may be acquired. It is to train him to 
soundness of judgment, to teach him to weigh evidence, 
and to guard him against the common sources of error. 
It is to give him a thirst for knoAvledge, which will keep 
his faculties in action throughout life. It is to aid him 
in the study of the outward world, to initiate him into 
the physical sciences, so that he will understand the prin- 
ciples of his trade or profession, and will be able to com- 
prehend the phenomena that are continually passing 
before his eyes. It is to make him acquainted with his 
own nature, to give him that most important means of 
improvement, self-comprehension. 

" In the next place, to educate a man is to train the 
conscience, to give him a quick, keen discernment of the 
right, to teach him duty in its great principles and 
minute applications, to establish in him immovable prin- 
ciples of action. It is to show his true position in the 
world, his true relation to God and his fellow-beings, and 
immutable obligations laid on him by these. It is to 
inspire liim with the idea of perfection, to give him a 
high moral aim, and to show how this may be maintained 
in the commonest toils, and how everything may be 
made to contribute to its accomplishment. 

'^ Further, to educate a man, in this country, is to 
train him to be a good citizen, to establish him in the 
principles of political science, to make him acquainted 
with our history, government, and laws; to teach him 
our great interests as a nation, and the policy by which 



TEACHING. 97 



PUPIL SHOULD AIM TO DO WELL. 



they are to be advanced ; and to impress him deeply 
with his responsibilities in this great trust — his obliga- 
tions to disinterested patriotism as the citizen of a free 
state. 

" Again ; to educate a man is to cultivate his imagin- 
ation and taste, to awaken his sensibihty to the beautiful 
in nature and art, to give him the capacity of enjoying 
the writings of men of genius, and to prepare him for the 
innocent and refined pleasures of literature. 

'^ I will only add, that to educate a man is to cultivate 
his power of expression, so that he can bring out his 
thoughts with clearness and strength, and exert a moral 
influence over his fellow-creatures. This is essential to 
true enjoyment and improvement of social life." 

Again ; the teacher should strive to incite in his pupils 
a desire to do well^ rather than much, remembering that 
a little^ well done^ is far preferable to much that is but 
half done. He should urge them to thoroughness in all 
that they do ; and, to this end, the exercise of the passing 
hour, whether it be a spelling lesson or a mathematical 
problem, should be made the exercise, and receive per- 
fect and undivided attention, and be carefully attended to 
and clearly understood. He should labor to make his 
pupils feel that the chief merit consists in the manner and 
perfection of their performances ; that, while many can 
do, but few do well, and that fewer still excel. He should 
cause them to realize that, in subsequent life, no em- 
ployment or profession can honor, elevate, and reward 
them, unless first, by their own ability and well-applied 
talents and efforts, they have contributed to adorn and 
elevate the business or profession of their choice ; — in 
other words, he should instruct them, in whatever pur- 
9 



98 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

ANECDOTE OP BILLY GRAY. 

suit they may engage, to perform its duties well and 
thoroughly, and, if their calling is a laudable one, suc- 
cess and honor must and will attend them. There once 
lived in Boston a noted and very wealthy merchant, 
familiarly known as Billy Gray. When he was some- 
what advanced in years, he was one day superintending 
a piece of carpenter's work, and had occasion to censure 
a workman for not doing his work well. The carpenter 
had known Billy Gray in youth, and, rather sensitive at 
the reproof thus administered, he said, " Billy Gray, 
what do you presume to scold me for ? You are a rich 
man, 'tis true; but didn't I know you when you were 
nothing but a drummer?" "Well," said Mr. Gra^, 
" did n't I drum well^ — eh ? did n't I drum loell ? " 

Another particular, from which the business of teach- 
ing has suffered, and now suffers, is, the tendency to 
require too many studies. This evil, also, follows one of 
an opposite nature. In former days, it was not custom- 
ary to pursue many branches. In our common schools, 
reading, writing, and arithmetic, constituted the catalogue 
of studies. These, truly, were some of the more essen- 
tial, but by no means all that were important. The sub- 
ject of studies was considered and discussed, and more 
branches were, very properly, introduced into our schools. 
But, the attention once aroused, the true medium was 
soon passed, and the evil of variety has followed that of 
deficiency. This, certainly, calls for consideration ; for 
nothing so much conduces to mental confusion and super- 
ficialism as attention to numerous branches at the same 
time. The mind, to be sure, needs some variety, some 
change. Too long confinement to one subject will fatigue 
it, and, if I may use the expression, monotonize it ; but 



TEACHING. 99 



ANECDOTE OF THE ESQUIMAUX. 



too great a variety will distract and weaken it. It 
should, therefore, be a prominent object with the teacher 
to ascertain the number and the kind of studies which 
his classes can pursue to advantage,, and, having satisfied 
himself, he should not be swayed by the wishes of such 
pupils as are constantly seeking for some new thing, 
— for some higher study. He should never allow vari- 
ety to take the place of thoroughness, but ever strive to 
induce his pupils to feel that the only sure way to gain 
promotion in their studies is to merit it by first obtain- 
ing a clear and full understanding of the more simple, 
but not less important branches. 

'' Children who have the habit of listening to words 
without understanding them, yawn and writhe with man- 
ifest symptoms of disgust whenever they are compelled 
to hear sounds which convey no idea to their minds. All 
supernumerary words should be avoided, in cultivating 
the power of attention. A few years ago, a gentleman 
brought two Esquimaux to London. He wished to 
amuse, and, at the same time, astonish them, with the 
magnificence of the metropolis. For this purpose, hav- 
ing equipped them like English gentlemen, he took them 
out, one morning, to walk through the streets of London. 
They walked for several hours in silence ; they expressed 
neither pleasure nor admiration at anything they saw. 
When their walk was ended, they appeared uncommonly 
melancholy and stupefied ; as soon as they got home, they 
sat down, with their elbows upon their knees, and hid 
their faces between their hands. The only words they 
could be brought to utter were, '' Too much smoke — too 
much noise — too much houses — too much men — too 
much everything." 



100 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

MANY STUDIES OBJECTIONABLE. 

So it often is with the young, in some schools ; so 
many things are pressed upon their notice at once that 
they obtain no well-grounded and definite knowledge of 
anything, and they may well say, "Too much — too 
much — too much." If any one asks why I so expand 
upon and enforce my views on this point, I can only 
adopt the principle used by a clergyman, to whom com- 
plaint was made because he repeated a certain sermon, 
and who replied, "When you live up to that sermon, I 
will stop preaching it." When teachers will so far 
regard the nature of the child's mind and faculties as to 
pay regard to the views that have already been advanced, 
their further repetition will be no longer necessary ; but. 
until then, there must be " Hne upon line, here a little 
and there a little." 

The following very sensible observations on " Teach- 
ing and Learning " are from the pen of the Rev. Wm. 
Bates. They were written for the Massachusetts 
Teacher^ and are taken from that excellent journal, as 
being peculiarly appropriate in this connection : 

" The terms Teaching and Learning are reciprocal, but 
not convertible. They both denote the same relation ; 
but each implies a distinct, related object, and indicates 
the peculiar action of this object or person in its appro- 
priate relation. To teach is one thing, to learn is 
another, — and, though related to the former act, is 
entirely distinct fijom it, and performed by a different 
agent. It is true, the verb to learn is often vulgarly 
used interchangeably with the correlative term to teach ^ 
and this usage has sometimes been sanctioned by high 
literary authority. But it is time that this anomaly 
should be excluded as well from our colloquial as from 



TEACHING. 101 



TEACHING AND LEARNING. 



our written language. To teach is to communicate 
knowledge — to give instruction ; to learn is to acquire 
knowledge — to be instructed. The teacher gives ; the 
learner receives. The teacher imparts; the learner 
acquires. The teacher (truly without diminishing his 
acquired stock, which actually increases, in his own 
mind, while it is thus diffused into the minds of others) 
communicates what he has previously learned ; and the 
learner makes what is thus communicated to him his own. 
The teacher, therefore, in the appropriate functions of 
his office, performs an act, depending on his own will, 
over which no other mind has control ; while the learner, 
by the exercise of mental powers equally his own, makes 
an acquisition, corresponding with the strength of those 
powers, and the energy with which they are exercised. 

" Nor is this analysis of the relation between teacher 
and learner, or this proposed definite and precise use of 
the term learn ^ embarrassed by the fact that men are 
sometimes said to be self-taught. For, in cases in which 
this epithet is used with propriety, the learners make to 
themselves teachers. The very instruments and means 
by which they acquire knowledge are their teachers. 
They hear the voice of nature ; they listen to the instruc- 
tions of revelation. They learn by observation and expe- 
rience. The word and the works of God are their teach- 
ers; and, as truly as in any case, they sustain the 
subjective relation of pupils, recipients, — inquisitive, 
active recipients ; putting forth their powers to reach the 
coming knowledge, and to mould and fashion it to their 
own capacities and habits of association, and thus making 
it their own, and preparing it for future use. 

" These critical remarks, however, are here introduced, 
9* 



102 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



WRONG IMPRESSION OP LEARNING. 



not SO much for the sake of grammatical accuracy, as for 
the purpose of establishing a general principle for the 
guidance of practical teachers, and the benefit and high- 
est improvement of their pupils. For, so far as the term 
to learn is used to denote the act of him who communi- 
cates knowledge, it implies a state of passivity in him to 
whom the communication is made; and thus, as the 
necessity of active exertion, on his part, seems to be 
superseded, all voluntary effort is discouraged, and he 
becomes indolent and inactive, of course. Indeed, the 
consequences of such an impression, as it is naturally 
made by the careless use of this term (though that im- 
pression be but a floating opinion), must be everywhere, 
and on all minds, pernicious and unfavorable, if not fatal, 
to high attainments in literature and science. Such an 
impression on the public mind must lead to the adoption 
of injudicious expedients to promote the cause of general 
education, — expedients which may be of temporary, appa- 
rent utility, but such as must ultimately depress the 
standard of learning, enervate the mental powers of the 
rising generation, make smatterers and sciolists, and pro- 
duce a race of superficial thinkers, instead of ripe schol- 
ars, of vigorous intellects and high attainments. Such 
an impression, or rather sentiment, however indistinct, 
must produce, in the mind of the pupil, indolence and 
stupid inaction ; in that of the teacher, discouragement 
and a spirit of formality ; in that of the parent, and 
even the friend and patron of learning, a disposition to 
complain and find fault with the most laborious and 
faithful teachers. 

'' Let it never be forgotten, then, that the act of learn- 
ing belongs to the pupil, and not to the teacher. Indeed, 



TEACHING. 103 



WHAT IT IS TO LEAEN. 



activity of mind is as requisite in the one as it is in the 
other, in order to secure the happy results of education, 
and especially of intellectual education. The pupil, as 
we said, must learn for himself This is his own appro- 
priate work, — a work which must be performed by him- 
self; it cannot be done for him, by another. In order to 
acquire knowledge, he must put forth personal effort. 
He must seek, if he would find ; he must strive, if he 
would ascend the hill and enter the temple of science. 
In other words, his mind must be in a recipient state, — 
wakeful, active, putting forth its powers and pushing for- 
ward its susceptibilities, — before he can participate in 
the benefits of the best instruction. Without this pre- 
paration in the pupil, and consequent reciprocal action 
with the teacher, all the labors of the latter will be lost. 
The knowledge imparted by the teacher will find no 
reception, certainly no permanent lodgment, in the slug- 
gish mind of the pupil. Instruction, to constitute edu- 
cation, must be received, as well as given ; and so received 
as to exercise and discipline the faculties of the mind 
which it enters, — so received as to be permanently held, 
— so received and held as to become incorporated with 
the mental powers themselves, and ready for appropriate 
use. It must, indeed, become the absolute property of 
the mind receiving it, and be retained by that mind, not 
as a thing of arbitrary association and memory merely, 
but it must so interpenetrate this recipient mind, diffuse 
itself through it, and become assimilated to it, as substan- 
tially to constitute a part of the mind itself 

" This doctrine of mental activity in the learner, as 
here stated, if true, is obviously a highly important and 
practical doctrine, — important to teacher and pupil, to 



104 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

A FEW HINTS TO TEACHERS. 

parents, and the friends and patrons of education. Many 
practical lessons may be found in it, and many valuable 
inferences drawn from it, adapted to the circumstances 
of the age and the condition of our schools. The space 
allotted to this article, however, will not allow a full 
statement and particular illustration of them in this con- 
nection. It will, therefore, be closed with a few hints, 
thrown out without much order, and designed principally 
for the consideration of professional teachers : 

''1. The teacher should devise means and adopt expe- 
dients to excite the curiosity and rouse the energies of 
his pupils. 

' ' 2. He should then endeavor to fix their attention, 
and concentrate their awakened energies, on the prescribed 
subject of inquiry and instruction. 

"3. He should connect with his instructions, as far as 
possible, what is interesting and attractive ; so that the 
associations formed in the minds of his pupils will leave 
them in love with the subject of investigation, and, in 
proper time, bring them back to the pursuit with readi- 
ness and alacrity. 

' ' 4. He should carefully prescribe for each scholar in 
his school a proper number of branches, to be pursued in 
a given time ; so as not to distract attention by variety, 
nor weary and exhaust it by dull uniformity. 

'' 5. He should exclude from his illustrations, as far 
as practicable, everything calculated to divert the minds 
of his pupils from the principal subject of investigation. 

'' 6. He should be careful that awakened curiosity be 
not gratified too soon, by unnecessary and superabundant 
aid, leaving no motive and no opportunity for effort on 
the part of his pupils ; nor, on the other hand, be suffered 



TEACHING. 105 



WHAT THE TEACHER SHOULD DO. 



to evaporate, and end in despair, for the want of timely 
and necessary aid, to enable them to overcome appallino^ 
difi&culties. With this view, he should intermingle with 
text-book instruction a due proportion of familiar lectur- 
ing ; enough of the one with the other to guard against 
the pernicious effects of excess in either. 

" 7. He should prepare, select, or adapt his text-books, 
with a due regard to the capacities of his pupils, and 
with reference to the development and exercise of their 
various powers of mind, as well as to the immediate acqui- 
sition of knowledge. If text-books are too plain and 
simple, they will either enervate or disgust ; if too con- 
cise, abstruse, and deficient in illustration, they will vex 
and discourage ; and in both cases produce mental inac- 
tion. The pupil must be made to work ; but he must 
work voluntarily, cheerfully, with hope. Aided too 
much, his energies remain dormant ; too little, they are 
soon exhausted, and he sinks into a state of despair ; and 
thus both excess and deficiency produce the same per- 
nicious result. 

"8. The teacher, in all his plans of government and 
instruction, should keep in view the principal business 
assigned him. This, in our view, and as far as intellect- 
ual education is involved, is, to rouse the curiosity of 
his pupils, and keep it awake ; to furnish, in a suflficient 
quantity, wholesome food for their minds, and suitable 
materials for the active, vigorous employment of all their 
mental powers." 



CHAPTER XV. 

DISCIPLINE. 

The subject of discipline is one of the utmost 
interest and importance. An instructor may possess 
every literary qualification, and work industriously and 
constantly, and yet fail of success, if he has not the 
requisite ability and skill for wisely governing his pupils. 
One has very truthfully said, "If there is any place on 
the surface of the earth where order is the first, and last, 
and highest law, that place is the school-room. Without 
it, there can be no such thing as progress." * In many 
instances, the money paid for the support of schools is 
worse than thrown away, in the employment of teachers 
who are incompetent to exercise a judicious control over 
their pupils. How much of that spirit of insubordina- 
tion and recklessness which so abounds in the community 
may be traced to the unwise and inefficient discipline of 
the school-room ! If in families and schools the young 
succeed in having their own way, and indulging their 
own wishes, regardless of others, they will claim the 
same privilege when they become members of society. 
The feeling of waywardness and selfishness will grow 
with their growth and strengthen with their strength. 
Is not this true to a great extent ? Is a man restive 
under the control of wholesome laws, and constantly 

* J. G. Hoyt. 



DISCIPLINE. 107 



CORRECT DISCIPLINE PROMOTES HAPPINESS. 



decrying those in authority, and complaining of all reg- 
ulations, however salutary and wise they may be ? It 
may, almost positively, be inferred that he was never, in 
his youth, brought within the influence of that judicious 
home and school discipline which will lead one to honor 
the laws, and respect those in authority. It is, unques- 
tionably, the fact, that a true spirit of obedience and 
subordination, formed by parents and teachers, will not 
only tend to promote the happiness of the young while 
" in the days of their youth," but will also tend to pre- 
pare them for higher spheres of usefulness and happi- 
ness, when manhood's cares, and duties, and responsibil- 
ities, shall be assumed. 

If such is the case (and who can doubt it?), how ex- 
ceedingly important is the subject under consideration ! 
With what earnestness and intensity of interest should 
the view I have taken induce every instructor to ask 
himself how he can best discipline the young and tender 
minds submitted to his care and training ! It will be 
my object to furnish a few hints on this point. 

1. The teacher must himself feel the truth and force 
of what has been said in relation to discipline. Without 
this feeling, he cannot even hope to succeed. It is of 
the very firet importance that one should comprehend the 
nature and magnitude of any work, before he can rightly 
and wisely undertake its performance. The teacher has, 
as it were, a large family to govern and instruct, com- 
posed of many smaller families, differing in disposition, 
talents, and attainments, — subjected, perhaps, to as many 
different kinds of discipline at home as the homes are 
numerous from which they come. These he must class- 
ify, govern, and instruct, having regard to the greatest 



108 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

TOO MANY RULES NOT WELL. 

general good of all concerned. The idle and indifferent 
he must arouse and urge onward ; the diffident and dis- 
trustful he must encourage by persevering kindness and 
gentleness; the more forward perhaps need a cheeky 
many need oft-repeated direction and correction^ — all 
need that spirit of inspiration and earnestness which can 
be imparted only by him who possesses the soul of a true 
teacher. To do all I have enumerated is disciplinary 
work ; and he who does it icell will have a school in a 
desirable state of discipline. 

2. The teacher should have but few regulations ; and 
the propriety and justice of these should be so obvious 
that the youngest cannot plead ignorance of them. 

That instructor who attempts to make a specific rule 
or law for every particular offence or deviation, will find 
difficulties at every step. If, instead of the practice so 
common with many, of making a long list of rules, with 
threatened penalties annexed, an instructor should ad- 
dress his pupils in substance as follows, the effect would 
be far more favorable : '• My young friends, I have been 
appointed to act as your instructor. I come to you as a 
friend, and with a strong desire to do you good. We are 
to spend many hours daily in this room ; and it is very 
important that we should do all we can, individually, to 
make this a pleasant place. You can do much to make 
my labors pleasant and successful, much to promote my 
happiness. I trust I may be able to do something for 
you ; and I pledge my best efforts in your behalf I will 
endeavor not to require you to perform any useless task, 
or submit to any unjust regulation. I shall, at this 
time, give you but a single rule ; and, if you rightly 
regard that, no other will be necessary. I merely ask 



DISCIPLINE. 109 



ATTEMPT TO PROMOTE RIGHT FEELING. 



that you will do no wrong thing: and I think we shall 
agree as to what maj constitute wrong. The school-room 
is a place for studying, and gaining knowledge. It 
should be a quiet and pleasant place. Whatever may 
tend to make it otherwise should be avoided. All whis- 
pering, laughing, playing, and rudeness of any kind, 
should be carefully refrained from. They are all wrong 
in the school-room, unless allowed at certain times, and 
under certain restrictions. You know they are wrong, 
and I think you would not wish to attend a school in 
which they were allowed without restraint. Therefore, 
I shall take it for granted that you will carefully guard 
against indulging in them, while members of this school. 
As we spend so much time in this room, it seems quite 
desirable that it should be kept in a neat and cleanly 
state. That this may be so, I trust every one will strive 
to form habits of neatness. If each of you will be 
careful as to your own personal habits, all will be right, 
and our room will have a pleasant and cheerful aspect 
That such may be the case, may I not ask, and expect, 
that each and all will refrain from spitting upon the floor, 
from throwing articles upon the floor, and from doing 
anything that shall tend to give the room, or any part of 
it, an untidy or disorderly appearance ? Be constant and 
punctual in your attendance, kind to each other, indus- 
trious while in school, and obedient and orderly in all 
places and at all times, and you will make improvement, 
and promote my happiness by the very means that will 
increase your own. It will be my highest endeavor to 
aid you, — my unceasing aim to increase your rational 
enjoyment. It shall be my object to requii-e the per- 
formance of no unreasonable act or task ; and all I ask, 
10 



110 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

FIRMNESS, KINDNESS, AND DETERJUNATION. 

and all that I desire from you, is a ready and cheerful 
compliance with my requirements, — all of which will be 
done by regarding the simple rule which I have given 
you." Remarks similar to these would have a salutary 
eflfect, and produce pleasant first impressions. But they 
will not accomplish the whole work. It would not be 
strange if some should undertake to test the teacher's 
resolution, and ascertain how far they can go and escape 
punishment. Such ones must be taken in hand at once, 
and be made, in some way, to feel that order must 
be had. The teacher must manifest a spirit of perfect 
self-control, kindness, and determination. "In main- 
taining discipline, it is not necessary for him to be rough 
and severe. He need not be armed a,nd equipped with 
bludgeons and blunderbusses. He adds no weiorht to his 
authority by narsh threats, full of ' sound and fury,' 
signifying nothing. But he must be prompt in decision, 
jinn in purpose, and uniform in action. His laws 
should be few^ but as immutable as the laws of nature ; 
and the penalty of wilful transgression should be as cer- 
tain as the decrees of fate. As the poet has well said, 

* Be obeyed when thou commandest, but command not often ; 
Let thy carriage be the gentleness of love, not the stern front of 
tyranny.' " 

There are certain tones of the voice, which, by their 
character of mild firmness and gentle determination, have 
a most powerful control. There are certain looks which 
awe into obedience more readily and completely than the 
most severe language of reproof and threatening. If the 
instructor would govern well, he should not be too noisy 
or boisterous himself " The more noise he makes in his 



DISCIPLINE. Ill 



PERFECT OEDEH. THE STUDENT IN MEDICINE. 

efforts to obtain order, the more he may — in fact, must 
— make. Some never punish till thej have exhausted 
their strength, and wearied their lungs, in useless en- 
deavors to get or preserve order. This may, and prob- 
ably often does, proceed from good-nature on the part of 
the teacher, and an unwillingness to punish. Still, such 
a course is ill-judged, and ought to be avoided. The 
teacher should be very sparing of his voice. Order, 
obtained at the expense of a great noise, is usually of 
short duration. Perfect order is easiest obtained and 
easiest preserved. To do the thing half-and-half is by 
far the most difl&cult and least satisfactory course." 

But how shall good discipline be secured 7 I answer, 
various means and appliances must be resorted to. Indi- 
vidual character must be studied ; peculiar circumstances 
must be investigated and thoroughly understood; and, 
where punishment is necessary, its nature and extent 
should be modified by existing circumstances. The 
same discipline will no more prove of equal efficacy, in 
different cases, than a similarity of treatment in other 
affairs will produce a uniformity in results. " Of two 
plants, apparently alike, and nurtured with equal care, 
one may flourish, the other wither and die, — and for 
reasons Avhich we cannot explain. The same difficulty 
increases, as we rise into animal life. A young student 
in medicine, having an English patient, laboring under a 
fever, allowed him chicken-broth, and he got well. He 
made a memorandum in his case-book, — ' Chicken-broth 
cures a fever.' He soon after had a French patient, 
similarly sick ; the same prescription was ordered, and 
the Frenchman died. He then entered in his case-book, 
— ' Though chicken-broth cures an Englishman of a 



112 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

DISCIPLINE BASED ON AUTHORITY. 

fever, it kills a Frenchman.' The young disciple of 
Galen did not take into view all the circumstances in the 
case." ^ 

School discipline, and, indeed, discipline everywhere, 
in order to be thorough and efficient, must be based on 
authority. This implies a right to enforce, and the 
power to do so, even by the use of severe means, if' nec- 
essary. The discipline of the school-room must be sus- 
tained, in some cases, by the infliction of punishment. 
This may be of various kinds. To some, a mere look, 
or word of reproof, may be more severe and more effica- 
cious than the severest personal chastisement to others. 
But, while we freely admit the undesirableness of corpo- 
ral punishment, and feel that it need not often be resorted 
to, we still contend that the right to inflict it does, and 
should of necessity, rest with the teacher, — and the 
mere consciousness of this, on the part of the pupils, will 
have a controlling and salutary influence. The same 
idea is expressed very forcibly in relation to another sub- 
ject, thus: "The government of the United States em- 
ploys its hundreds of workmen, at Springfield and at 
Harper's Ferry, in the manufacture of muskets. The 
inspector examines every one, as it is finished, with great 
care. He adjusts the flint, and tries it again and again, 
until its emitted shower of sparks is of proper brilliancy, 
— and, when satisfied that all is right, he packs it away 
with its thousands of companions, to sleep, probably, in 
their boxes, in quiet obscurity, forever. A hundred 
thousand of these deadly instruments- form a volcano of 
slumbering power, which never has been awakened, and 

* Joseph Hale. 




DISCIPLINE. 113 



THE GOVERNMENT OP THE UNITED STATES. 



which we hope never will. The government never makes 
use of them. One of its agents, a custom-house officer, 
waits upon you for the payment of a bond. He brings 
no musket. He keeps no troops. He comes with the 
gentleness and civility of a social visit. But you know 
that, if compliance with the just demands of your govern- 
ment is refused, and the resistance is sustained, force 
after force would be brought to bear upon you, until the 
whole hundred thousand muskets should speak with their 
united and tremendous energy. The government of these 
United States is thus a mighty engine, workino- with 
immense momentum ; but the parts which bear upon the 
citizen conceal their power by the elegance of the work- 
manship, and by the slowness, and apparent gentleness, of 
their motion. If you yield to it, it glides smoothly and 
pleasantly by. If you resist it, it crushes you to 
atoms." * 

And thus, we contend, it must be with the instructor. 
Constituted as human nature is, he must be vested with 
"^authority and power. These, like the muskets at the 
arsenals, may remain unobserved until emergency shall 
call for their appearance. And if parents and teachers 
will exercise a little more caution and judgment, and say 
only what they mean, and mean just what they say, 
and manifest a firm, decided, unyielding, though kind 
determination, to have every requirement strictly regarded 
and promptly and impHcitly answered, it will rarely be 
necessary to exercise the power and authority to an un- 
pleasant extent. 

Oft-repeated and continued scolding or whipping, in a 



* Jacob Abbott. 
10* 



114 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



THE HARDENING PROCESS ILLUSTRATED. 



family or school, will only tend to make bad children 
ivorse, and good ones indifferent. 

A blacksmith brought up his son, to whom he was 
very severe, to his own trade. One day, the old Vulcan 
was attempting to harden a cold- chisel, which he had 
made of foreign steel, but could not succeed. At last, the 
youth, who was standing near, willing to impart knowl- 
edge which he had obtained by bitter experience, ex- 
claimed, with an expression full of faith, " Horse-whip it, 
father ; if that won't harden it, nothing will ! " 

On the subject of corporal punishment, — a subject 
which has often excited public attention, — I would not 
be misunderstood. I would not entirely object to its 
application, but would discountenance its too frequent, 
and often improper, use. I fully believe that there are 
cases, in which the best good of a school, as well as of 
an offender, calls for the infliction of severe chastisement. 
Though this may be grievous for the time, it will, if 
rightly applied, produce good fruits. But the rod should 
never be hastily or passionately used. There are parents, 
and there are teachers, who, for every slight offence or 
deviation of a child, grasp the rod, and, with passionate 
violence, use it. This is, unquestionably, wrong; but 
the correction of tliis extreme should not lead us to an 
opposite one, which, under existing circumstances of 
society, would be equally pernicious. 

The rod should not be applied on every occasion, nor 
for every transgression ; but the infrequency of its use 
should contribute, in no small degree, to its efficacy. The 
teacher should always resort to it with calmness and self- 
control ; and the whole case should be so considered and 
explained, with all attendant circumstances, that the 



DISCIPLINE. 115 



COEPORAL PUNISHMENT. 



whole school, and the offender himself, shall see and feel 
that the teacher is about to perform an unpleasant and 
painful d\ity^ — a duty from which he will never shrink, 
when called upon by circumstances to act. After the 
nature and particulars of the case have been suitably 
commented upon, the deserved punishment should be 
inflicted with such degree of severity as will subdue 
the guilty one, and strongly impress upon him, and 
through him, the fact that " the way of the transgressor 
is hard." 

This course, followed by a kindness on the part of the 
teacher which shall indicate that naught has been done 
in malice, will usually have a salutary effect. 

Good order, and submission to wholesome regulations, 
must be insisted on, in every well-managed family and 
school. These should be (and, ordinarily, they may be) 
secured by mild and kind means, if possible ; but they 
should not, in any instance, be sacrificed to a frequently- 
conceived, though we think erroneous impression, that the 
use of the rod is too brutal. If boys so far depart from 
a proper course as to allow brutal passions to gain the 
mastery over reason and judgment, and under their con- 
trol set at naught all just requirements and salutary 
regulations, they should be met and conquered by such 
arguments as the existing and ruhng principles may seem 
to demand. 

To obtain stillness and order in the school-room, it is 
not necessary that the teacher should be noisy himself, 
or use loud tones of voice. If scholars are uneasy, rest- 
less, or noisy, let the teacher suspend all exercises, and 
wait until all is quiet ; and, if this demands a loss of 
time, let the school-hours be lengthened, to make up the 



116 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

STILLNESS. — MOTHER OP WASHINGTON. 

loss. This waiting process will do wonders, sometimes, 
in promoting order. Mr. Parish, the experienced and 
efficient principal of the Springfield High School, thus 
speaks of a similar course : ' ' The simple process of sus- 
pending all exercises, and obtaining perfect stillness for 
a single minute^ so that a clock or watch may be heard 
to tick, frequently operates like a charm. Most scholars 
have little idea of a still school- room, till they learn it 
by some such experiment ; nor of the noise they make, 
except by contrast." 

Again ; the teacher must be even and uniform in his 
disciplinary efforts. "If strict in discipline to-day, and 
lax to-morrow; if he punishes an offence at one time 
which he disregards at another ; or if he suffers an irreg- 
ularity to pass unnoticed now and censures it to-morrow, 
how can his scholars have confidence in his judgment ? 
They will be very quick to observe any irregularity in 
the teacher's mode of instructing, or in his general sys- 
tem of government. Let no one suffer himself to be 
deceived, by thinking that irregularity will pass without 
exerting an unhappy influence." * 

It is said, that when the mother of Washington was 
asked how she formed the character of her son, she 
replied, that she had endeavored early and earnestly to 
teach him three things, — obedience^ diligence^ and truth. 
If these were essential to the formation of the character 
of the great and good Washington, shall they not be 
deemed of the utmost importance in training the young 
of the present day ? Without obedience, it will be in 
vain to attempt to teach. 

" How careful men of influence, and especially teach- 

* S. R. Hall. 



DISCIPLINE. 117 



EXTRACT FROM JOSEPH HALE's LECTURE. 



ers, should be to guard against encouraging that excess- 
ive love of freedom which can brook no restraint ! They 
who know not how to be governed are, surely, incapable 
of that self-government which is the very essence of free- 
dom. If children are brought up with the notion that 
they are never to be restrained by force, how wrong 
soever their acts may be, they are in great danger of 
becoming the victims of lawless and ungovernable pas- 
sions. Let a respect for laAv and order, then, be early 
inculcated in them. Let teachers keep steadily on in the 
path of duty, — teaching really what they pretend to 
teach, and governing really where they ought to govern, 
listening to the dictates of conscience, and guided more 
by the fixed principles of a true spiritual philosophy 
than by the changeful notions of fluctating experimental- 
ism." * 

Without further enlarging upon this subject, I will 
give a few simple and plain rules for the teacher's guid- 
ance ; and, if they are properly regarded and observed, 
there will seldom be occasion for resorting to any severe 
mode of punishment. I know not the authorship of 
the rules ; but give them as found, with the exception 
of a few unimportant alterations : 

RULES FOR THE TEACHER. 

1. From your earliest connection with your pupils, 
inculcate the necessity oi prompt and exact obedience. 

2. Unite firmness with gentleness ; and let your pupils 
always understand that you inean exactly what you say. 

3. Never promise anything, unless you are quite sure 
you can give what you promise. 

* Joseph Hale. 



118 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



RULES FOR THE TEACHER. 



4. Never tell a pupil to do anything, unless you are 
sure he knows liow it is to be done ; — or show him how 
to do it, and then see that he does it. 

5. Always punish a pupil for wilful disobcdiefice ; 
but never punish unduly, or in anger ; and in no case 
should a blow be given on the head. 

6. Never let your pupils see that they can vex you, or 
make you lose your self-command. 

7. If pupils are under the influence of an angry or 
petulant spirit, wait till they are calm, and then reason 
with them on the impropriety of their conduct. 

8. Never yield anything to a pupil because he looks 
angry, or attempts to move you by threats and tears. 
Deal mercifully, but justly too. 

9. A little present punishment, when the occasion 
arises, is more effectual than the threatening of a greater 
punishment, should the fault be renewed. 

10. Never allow pupils to do, at one time, what you 
have forbidden, under the like circumstances, at another. 

11. Teach the young that the only sure and easy way 
to appear good is to be good. 

12. Never allow tale-bearing. 

13. If a pupil abuses your confidence, make him, for a 
time, feel the want of it. 

14. Never allude to former errors, when real sorrow 
has been evinced for having committed them. 

15. Encourage, in every suitable way, a spirit of dili- 
gence, obedience, perseverance, kindness, forbearance, 
honesty, truthfulness, purity, and courteousness. 

16. Never speak in a scolding and fretful manner, but 
use tones of gentleness. Some teachers defeat their 
objects by using harsh and boisterous tones. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

MEANS OF INTERESTING PUPILS AND 
PARENTS. 

The business of education is of a tri-party nature, and 
. its truly healthful and wise advancement can only be 
secured by the heartfelt and sincere interest and judicious 
efforts of all concerned. Teachers, parents, and pupils, 
are the joint-partners in the work ; and, while something 
may be done by each party individually, nothing, short 
of the harmonious and cheerful cooperation of all, can 
secure the richest and fullest blessings which the object 
under consideration is calculated to impart. 

The teacher should earnestly ask what he can do to 
awaken a proper degree of interest on the part of the 
pupils and parents, with whom and for whom he is called 
to labor. It will be my endeavor in this chapter to 
make a few suggestions in reference to this point : 

I. By possessing and exercising the qualifications 
previously named, and having a heart truly alive to 
the duties and resporisibilities of his vocation. 

Unless teachers possess the requisite moral and literary 
qualifications, together with a well-disciplined faculty of 
imparting instruction to others, it will be in vain to 
attempt to awaken and continue an active and salutary 
interest on the part of pupils and parents. If they who 
assume the duties of the teacher's office are in any degree 
incompetent in their qualifications or indifferent in their 



120 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



INTEREST IN LESSONS. 



feelings, that incompetency or that indifference will 
surely be felt by all with whom they may come in con- 
tact. The instructor is, or should be, the fountain from 
whose resources the pupils may obtain their supplies ; 
and, if those supplies are insufficient in quantity, or 
impure in quality, the recipients will, most certainly, 
suffer therefrom. 

The teacher should have a just appreciation of the* 
nature of the work he is called to perform. As he meets 
his pupils, from day to day, he should not only strive to 
supply their minds from his own well-stored mind, but 
he should, at all times, furnish them the benefit of a good 
example. Kind, gentle, affectionate, firm, — he must, in 
all particulars, and on all occasions, give the clearest 
evidence that he is a man, — a man possessed of manly 
feelings, and influenced by manly motives, — a man 
with a heart ahve to their interests, and ever ready to 
administer to their wants and promote their true hap- 
piness. And how shall he do this ? 

1. By manifesting an intelligent and active inte- 
rest in all their studies. 

Many of the exercises of the school-room are, in them- 
selves, of a monotonous and uninteresting character ; and 
after all that has been said in relation to making them 
easy and attractive, it is, nevertheless, true, that a good 
and thorough education cannot be acquired without much 
patient and laborious application and effort, on the part 
of pupils. The teacher may do, and should do, much to 
aid and cheer them on, and thus render their tasks more 
interesting ; but he cannot perform their work for them. 
One of the most common, and one of the most erroneous, 
notions of the present day, is, that every lesson must be 



HOW TO INTEREST PUPILS. 121 



THE OBJECT TO BE KEPT IN VIEW. 



made perfectly simple, easy, and pleasant, for the learner. 
The truth is, that it" is impossible to make all lessons and 
school-exercises easy and simple ; and he who attempts 
to do so will have a school of simpletons. In obtaining 
an education, there must be hard study, and close, self- 
denying application. The scholar should be made to 
feel this in the outset ; and he may feel it and still 
strive with 'pleasure, — for the "pursuit of knowledge 
under difficulties " is not without the highest pleasure, 
especially when the noble results of its attainment are 
kept properly and distinctly before the mind. The main 
thing is, to inspire one with a feeling that a certain object 
is truly desirable and valuable ; and then it matters not 
what difficulties are in the way, — they will be readily 
encountered, quickly overcome ; and the pleasure attend- 
ing the attainment of the object will be greatly enhanced 
by the very obstacles surmounted in securing it. It is 
so with the young, no less than with those of maturer 
years. 

A few years ago, intelligence came that^rich and exten- 
sive mines of the riches which perish with the using 
had been discovered upon our fir-ofif western borders ; 
and when it once became certain that the precious metal 
abounded in those distant regions, neither the endear- 
ments of home, perils by land and perils by sea, nor 
hardships to be encountered and privations to be endured 
of the severest nature, could deter \'ast multitudes from 
thronging our Pacific shores. And, so long as it shall 
be probable that the fine gold abounds there, there will 
be no lack of willing pilgrims to the spot, though it may 
' be necessary for them, at almost every step, to pass the 
bones or the graves of those who have perished by the 
11 



122 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

MAKE THE SCHOOL-BOOM PLEASANT. 

way. And men are wanted for teachers who will, by 
holding before the minds of the young fair prospects of a 
rich harvest of more durable and satisfying riches than 
any earthly El Dorado can give, incite them to those 
habits of diligence, application, and perseverance, which 
will secure to them prizes of inestimable worth. The 
teacher should endeavor constantly and earnestly to 
impress the minds of his pupils with a just sense of the 
greatness of the work to be accomplished, and of the 
intrinsic value of the object to be obtained. He should 
aim to inspire them with confidence in their own abilities, 
and encourage them to persevere cheerfully in the pur- 
suit of knowledge, and lead them to feel that the gi^eatest 
happiness will come from surmounting the most formid- 
able difficulties. By presenting to their minds, as clearly 
as may be, the goal to be reached, and the value of the 
prize to be won, he may do much to incite them on with 
vigor and zeal in the race before them. But, aside from 
this, he may do much to make the dullest exercises invit- 
ing, and throw a cheerful interest around recitations of 
tliemselves monotonous and void of interest. By judicious 
explanations and well-selected anecdotes, he may do much 
to animate and enhven the heart of the otherwise dispir- 
ited pupil, and lead him to press on with a hopeful, 
buoyant, and happy spirit. 

2. By making the school-room cheerful and at- 
ii'active. 

It is for the teacher, mainly, to determine what kind 
of atmosphere shall pervade the school-room. It will, 
indeed, be precisely what he shall decide to make it. If 
he enters the school with a gloomy or morose counte- 
nance, and, while in it, indulges in feelings of petulance, 



HOW TO INTEREST PUPILS. 123 

CORRECT MORAL TONE. 

or manifests a discontented, captious or capricious spirit, 
his pupils will surely be restless, fretful, and trouble- 
some. But, on the other hand, if he wears a cheerful 
countenance, and exhibits a patient, mild, and happy 
frame of mind, with a corresponding kindness in his 
tone, expression, and movements, he will do much to 
make the. school-room pleasant, and the pupils contented 
and happy. I would, therefore, urge upon the teacher 
the importance of cultivating and exhibiting all those 
kindly feelings and traits of the heart which prove a rich 
adornment to the whole life and character, rendering 
their possessor a more agreeable companion, and a more 
useful citizen. He should always strive so to present 
himself before them, in every act, word, and expression, 
as to prove a worthy pattern for imitation, ever remem- 
bering, that ''as is the teacher, so will be the pupils." 

3. By promoting a healthy moral tone among his 
pupils, the teacher will create an interest in school 
duties. 

To live wisely and well, and possess a happy and 
clieerful disposition, one should have some just apprecia- 
tion of life's great end, with a strong desire rightly to 
perform all its duties, and submissively to bear its tri- 
als. Hence, the teacher should make it a prominent 
point, to impress upon his pupils the vastness of the 
object for which they live. He should bring before their 
minds, as distinctly and forcibly as may be, the nature 
of their relations to each other, to the community, and to 
their Creator, and hold up to their view the duties and 
responsibilities resting upon every citizen. He should do 
what he can to cause them to feel that true goodness and 
true happiness are inseparable ; and that the more they 



124 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

INTEREST IN AMUSEMENTS. 

strive to perform faithfully every duty, as pupils, — the 
more they do to promote the, good of their companions, 
parents, and all with whom they may, in any way, be 
associated, — the greater will be their own true happiness 
and usefulness. He should, by precept and by example, 
lead them to love and regard truth and honesty, and 
cherish and cultivate every moral and kindly feeling of 
the heart, and to exercise that pleasant and courteous 
deportment which will make them more agreeable and 
useful in every relation of life. Indeed, that teacher who 
succeeds in establishing a sound moral tone among his 
pupils, will find no difficulty in securing the best and 
strongest cooperation of parents and pupils. 

4. By manifesting a judicious interest in the inno- 
cent recreations of his pupils^ and by exhibiting a 
true sympathy with them in all their trials^ the 
teacher may enlist their feelings in favor of school 
duties. 

The mind is ever active ; and, in the period of youth, 
when life's cares, anxieties, and duties are few, it most 
readily engages in the amusements of childhood. With 
a peculiar buoyancy of spirit do the young participate in 
youth's sports ; and it becomes those who have the over- 
sight of them, whether as parents or teachers, to do what 
they can to modify and control what it would be equally 
impolitic and impossible to prevent. Let them aim to 
cultivate in children a taste for those recreations which 
are not only innocent in themselves, but harmless in their 
tendency. It is too often the case that adults express no 
interest in boyhood's sports, and speak of them as purely 
mischievous and annoying. If, however, a teacher would 
gain the affections and secure the interest of his pupils, 



HOW TO INTEREST PARENTS. 125 

THE SPORTS OP PUPILS. 

he should not, with repulsive and forbidding looks, pass 
by their amusements. He should not forget that he was 
once young, and engaged with earnest delight in the 
same merry games which now so fully engross the passing 
hour of his pupils' release from the duties of the school- 
room. Rather should he gaze with a smiling countenance 
and an approving expression, and thus give evidence that 
he takes pleasure in all their rational enjoyments. He 
may do, and should do, what he can to check an inordi- 
nate desire for amusements, and also discountenance 
those which are, in any degree, immoral or hurtful in 
their tendencies. In relation to these, as in reference to 
their school duties, let him give assurance that he is 
their true friend, — ever "willing and ready to aid them in 
their toils, smile upon them in their happy and joyous 
hours, and sympathize with them in all their trials and 
difficulties. He will thus gain an influence over them 
by which he may easily interest them in the exercises of 
the school-room, and by which, also, his own labors for 
them will prove much more efficacious, salutary, and 
pleasant. 

I have thus far spoken of the teacher in relation to 
awakening an interest, on the part of his pupils, and now 
propose to designate one or two particulars in which he 
may awaken parental interest, and secure parental coop- 
eration. In passing, however, it may be observed, that 
whatever tends to interest the children will, most surely, 
have a favorable influence upon the parents; and we 
may, indeed, say it is impossible to obtain a right feeling 
on the part of pupils, without securing a corresponding 
feeling on the part of the parents. It is equally true, 
that whatever may incite the parents to judicious feeling 
11* 



126 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

MEANS OF INTERESTING PARENTS. 

and right action, will surely cause a better state of feeling 
with the pupils. Hence, whatever may be suggested as 
promotive of the interest of either party, will be, in a 
certain sense, beneficial to all concerned. Every true, 
faithful, and devoted instructor will, on taking charge of 
a school, ask himself, " What can I do to promote a righi 
feeling, and secure the needed cooperation on the part of 
the parents of my pupils ? " I answer : 

1. Invite them to meet you, on some evenings m 
the school-?'oom, for the purpose of considering some 
of the Tnutual duties growing out of your relation to 
them. 

It is very desirable that the teacher should embrace an 
early opportunity to make known to those among whom 
he is called to labor his views, feelings, and plans. By 
so doing, most of the difficulties and wrong feeling which 
often exist in school-districts will be prevented. Indeed, 
nearly every trouble could be avoided, or amicably set- 
tled, if the parties concerned knew each other's wishes, 
motives, and views. The most ready and convenient 
way for the teacher to gain access to the parents is that 
just designated. A little effort will secure a general 
gathering of the parents, and afford an opportunity for 
many valuable suggestions. It will enable the teacher to 
speak familiarly and plainly of his sphere of labors, the 
nature of his duties, and his need of parental aid and 
sympathy. He may call their attention, as clearly and 
earnestly as may be, to the importance of regular and 
seasonable attendance ; and, if possible, lead them to see 
and feel, that no pupil can excel in scholarship, or make 
much progress, who is often absent from his class. He may 
do something, if devoted to his vocation, to convince his 



HOW TO INTEREST PARENTS. 127 

VISITING P^\JREXTS AT THEIR HOMES. 

patrons that he desires to labor icith them, as well 2i^for 
them, in the great work of training their children for 
usefulness, respectability, and happiness, — a work whose 
most successful prosecution calls for union of purpose and 
action on the part of parents and teachers; and, as "a 
house divided against itself cannot stand," so will discord 
between parents and teachers prove the ruin of a school. 
He should solicit their earnest and constant cooperation 
in all his efforts, not only to form studious and orderly 
habits at school, but also in all his attempts to promote 
obedience, kindliness of feeling, and true goodness. An 
hour judiciously occupied, in the free and plain consider- 
ation of school-room duties, and of the various particulars 
in which parents may render the teacher most essential 
aid, cannot fail of producing results truly gratifying and 
beneficial. By such a course, most parents will be in- 
duced to reflect, and act with new interest and efficiency. 

2. By visiting parents^ at their homes, you may 
do much to promote their interest in behalf of your 
efforts. 

That teacher who would discipline and instruct his 
pupils most successfully and efficiently, should know 
much of individual character, condition, and peculiarities. 
As no two pupils are constituted precisely alike, or simi- 
larly situated in reference to their home relations and 
home influences, so no uniform mode of discipline and 
incitement will produce uniform and similar results with 
different pupils. Hence the importance of a clear knowl- 
edge of individual temperament, and of the peculiar home 
and other influences that bear upon each pupil ; and in 
no way can the teacher so well acquire this knowledge 
as by calling upon the parents. A few minutes' conver- 



128 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

PARENTS SHOULD VISIT THE SCHOOL. 

sation and observation at the fireside will afford him an 
amount of information which will prove highly service- 
able, and, at the same time, awaken an interest in both 
parents and pupils. But, that the results of such visits 
may prove most salutary to all parties, the teacher should 
communicate freely and frankly in reference to the de- 
portment and progress of the children at school. If they 
are regular and constant in their attendance, diligent and 
orderly in their habits, and correct in their recitations, it 
should be so stated, both for their credit and encourage- 
ment. But, if they are irregular and unseasonable in 
their attendance, careless and disobedient in their habits, 
and idle or uninterested in their studies, it should be 
made known, without reserve. , The truth, spoken hon- 
estly and kindly, will do good ; and, when pupils find 
that frequent interviews take place between their parents 
and teacher, which are improved in the discussion of 
their conduct, habits, and progress, they will, in most 
cases, be incited to greater care and diligence, in order 
that a good report may always be made to parents and 
friends. 

3. By ijiviting parents to make occasional visits to 
the school, yon rnay promote the interest of all. 

A little effort, on the part of the teacher, will induce 
the parents to call at the school-room, for the purpose of 
listening to the recitations, and witnessing the regular 
exercises of the pupils. Such visits will cheer and stim- 
ulate the pupils, encourage the instructor, and interest 
those who make them. When scholars feel that some 
of the parents may be present to listen to their recita- 
tions, they will be prompted to study more diligently, 
that they may have no occasion for shame when called 



HOW TO INTEREST PARENTS. 129 

THE TEACHER SHOULD PERSEVERE. 

upon to exhibit the fruits of their labor. Indeed, no 
course can be adopted which will exert an influence so 
salutary and efficient upon all parties, — at once awaken- 
ing, as it will, new interests, and imparting new informa- 
tion in relation to school and school duties. 

It may be said that the positions I have taken will 
impose too great a burden upon the teacher. It is true 
that the work is great and the burden heavy. But we 
assume that the teacher must take the lead in the whole 
business, because his very occupation causes him to see 
and feel the true state of affairs more clearly than any 
others can do. If parents and children are indifferent, or 
entertain erroneous views and feelings, the teacher must 
labor to interest and enlighten them. To complain of 
their indifference or neglect, will do no good ; and those 
teachers who are constantly complaining of the apathy or 
opposition of parents, are only doing that which will 
tend to alienate feelings, and make bad matters worse. 
The wise, faithful, and judicious teacher will endeavor to 
ascertain the true condition of affairs ; and, while he 
makes the best of present circumstances, he 'will strive, 
earnestly and constantly, to remove existing evils, miti- 
gate what cannot be wholly avoided, and, in every way, 
endeavor to promote the highest good of parents and 
pupils ; ever feeling, that the greater the difficulties, the 
more need there is of patient and persevering labor. If 
time and strength fail of his accomplishing all that we 
have suggested, let him aim at a near approximation ; 
and in the conscientious discharge of all incumbent duties 
he will do much good, and secure a rich and never-fail- 
ing reward. '' Let us not be weary of well-doing, for in 
due season we shall reap, if we faint not." 



CHAPTER XVII. 

MORAL INSTRUCTION. 

It is to be feared that the importance of judicious 
moral training has not yet been properly appreciated. 
Unless the book-instruction of the school-room is accom- 
panied by a wise cultivation and discipline of the suscep- 
tibihties of the heart, it may prove a curse, instead of a 
blessing. ' ' The human body may attain its noblest per- 
fection of health and strength, the observation may be 
acute, the intellect profound, the imagination rich ; and 
yet these varied and glorious powers be turned to evil. 
Strength may support tyranny, acuteness and depth 
raise up obstacles to truth, and imagination spend its 
gorgeous eloquence in the service of the basest vices. 
The work is incomplete, if the moral nature remains un- 
cultivated. Physical and intellectual education aim at 
the perfection of the instruments, which may become 
splendid implements of evil, if moral education does 
not succeed in regulating the power which is to use 
them." 

Every faithful teacher will esteem it a duty and priv- 
ilege to do what he can in cultivating the moral feelings 
of his pupils, and calling into full action the kindlier 
affections of their hearts. His situation will enable him 
to do much, and a true sense of his responsibility will 
lead him to a wise improvement of every fitting opportu- 
nity. It is often the case that teachers are too formal. 



MORAL INSTRUCTION. 131 

A RIGHT TIME FOR MORAL IMPRESSIONS. 

and, perhaps, I may add, too arbitrary^ in their efforts 
to impart moral instruction, and cultivate the nobler ele- 
ments of their natures. They seem to imagine that a 
certain amount must be done daily, and at a set time, 
regardless of circumstances. Some are in the habit of 
devoting a portion of time, just previous to the hour of 
dismission, to a sort of lecture on moral philosophy. This 
is certainly a very unfavorable season ; for the children 
will feel more anxious to get released from the school- 
room, than willing to listen to a homily on morality. 

If the teacher would effectually impart moral instruc- 
tion, and awaken religious feeling, he must be wise in the 
selection of his topics, and wise in the choice of the 
time for their presentation. Every true teacher may, 
almost every hour of nearly every day of the year, find 
proper occasions for saying a few words, and making the 
right impression. He should seize upon every favoring 
circumstance for enforcing a just appreciation of every- 
thing that is lovely and of good report, and a true 
abhorrence of wrong in every form in which it may 
appear. He may, at times, convince them of the truth 
of the couplet, 

" Vice is a monster of so frightful mien. 
As, to be hated, needs but to be seen." 

I would, then, repeat that the instructor should seek 
for the right times for making good moral impressions ; 
seasons in which tlie minds of the pupils and attendant 
circumstances shall be favorable. 

" If advice we would convey, 
There 's a time we should convey it ; 
If we 've but a word to say, 
There 's a time in which to say it." 



132 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



A METHOD ADOPTED BY MB. OLIVEB. 



The following cases will illustrate more clearly the 
ideas I would convey. The first is a truthful narrative 
of an occurrence within the experience of Mr. Oliver, 
who was for many years a highly popular and successful 
instructor in Salem. It will speak for itself The story 
is related by Mr. Oliver, Avhose father was the clergyman 
referred to. 

"Young people commit more faults from thoughtless- 
ness than from intent to do wrong ; and want of reflection 
leads children astray much oftener than want of princi- 
ple. Indifference to the feelings of the aged, a proneness 
to make light of peculiarities which they may possess, 
and even to ridicule their infirmities, are, however, too 
often indulged in by the young ; and, in the excitement 
of the momentary gratification which such merriment 
may produce, all thought of the wrong, and all sense of 
the right, are equally forgotten. The proverb of the 
wisest man saith, ' The glory of young men is their 
strength ; and the beauty of old men is the gray head.^ 
The strength of the young should protect and defend the 
beauty of the old. 

' ■ The hoary head should ever be respected, whatever 
may be the outward condition of its possessor ; and 
neither sport nor ridicule should be thrown upon him 
whose enfeebled strength scarce sufiices to bear the 
weight of the many years with which time has burdened 
him. 

" The following narrative, which is strictly true, illus- 
trates what has been observed, and proves that the just 
recompense of a thoughtless fault may be more speedily 
repaid, to those who commit it, than may be either ex- 
pected or desired by them. The common saying, of 



MORAL INSTRUCTION. 133 

THE SLEIGH-RIDE. 

'waking up the wrong passenger,' is peculiarly applica- 
ble to the case. 

" In one of the most populous cities of New England, 
a short time since, a party of lads — all members of the 
same school — got up a grand sleigh-ride. There were 
about twenty-five or thirty boys engaged in the frolic. 
The sleigh was drawn by six gray hoi-ses. The afternoon 
was as beautiful as anybody could desire, and the merry 
group enjoyed themselves in the highest degree. It was 
a common custom of the school to which they belonged, 
and, on previous occasions, their teacher had accompanied 
them. Some engagement upon important business, how- 
ever, occupying him. he was not, at this time, with them. 
It is quite likely, ha<^l it been otherwise, that the re- 
straining influence of his presence would have prevented 
the scene which is the main feature of the present story. 
On the day following the ride, as he entered the school- 
room, he found his pupils grouped about the stove, and in 
high merriment, as they chatted about the fun and frolic 
of their excursion. He stopped a while and listened ; 
and, in answer to some inquiries which he made about the 
matter, one of the lads — a fine, frank, and manly boy, 
whose heart was really in the right place, though a love 
of sport sometimes led him astray — volunteered to give 
a narrative of their trip, and its various incidents. 

"As he drew near the end of his story, he exclaimed, 
' 0, sir ! there was one little circumstance which I had 
almost forgotten to tell you. Toward the latter part of 
the afternoon, as we were coming home, we saw, at some 
distance ahead of us, a queer-looking affair in the road. 
We could not exactly make out what it was. It seemed 
to be a sort of half-and-half monstrosity. As we ap- 
12 



134 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

THE scholar's NARRATIVE. 

proached it, it proved to be a rusty old sleigh fastened 
behind a covered wagon, proceeding at a very slow pace, 
and taking up the whole road. Finding that the owner 
was not disposed to turn out, we determined upon a volley 
of snow-balls and a good hurra. 

" ' These we gave with a relish; and they produced the 
right effect, and a little more, for the crazy machine 
turned out into the deep snow by the side of the road, 
and the skinny old pony started on a full trot. As we 
passed, some one of us who had the whip gave the 
old jilt of a horse a good crack, which made him run 
faster than he ever did before, I "11 warrant. And so, 
with another volley of snow-balls, pitched into the front 
of the wagon, and three times three cheers, we rushed 
by. With that, an old fellow in the wagon, who was 
buried up under an old hat, and beneath a rusty cloak, 
and who had dropped the reins, bawled out, "Why do 
you frighten my horse ? " " Why don't you turn out, 
then? " says the driver. So w^e gave him three rousing 
cheers more. His horse was frightened again, and ran 
up against a loaded team, and, I believe, almost capsized 
the old creature. And so we left him.' 

" 'Well, boys,' replied the instructor, 'that is quite 
an incident. But take your seats, and, after our morning 
service is ended, I will take my turn, and tell you a story, 
and all about a sleigh-ride, too ! ' 

" Having finished the reading of a chapter in the 
Bible, and after all had joined in the Lord's Prayer, he 
commenced as follows : 

' ' ' Yesterday afternoon, a very venerable and respecta- 
ble old man — and a clergyman by profession — was on 
his way from Boston to Salem, to pass the residue of the 



MORAL INSTllUCTION. 135 

THE teacher's STORY. 

winter at the house of his son. That he might be pre- 
pared for journeying, as he proposed to do in the spring, 
he took with him his light wagon, and, for the winter, his 
sleigh, which he fastened behind the wagon. He was, 
just as I have told ^^ou, very old and very infirm. His 
temples were covered with thinned locks, which the frosts 
of eighty y^ars had whitened. His sight, and hearing, 
too, were somewhat blunted by age, as yours will be, 
should you live to be as old. He was proceeding very 
slowly and quietly, for his horse was old and feeble, like 
his owner. He was occupied with memories of the past, 
and his thoughts reverted to the scenes of his youth, 
when he had perilled life in fighting for the liberties of 
his country ; — to the associates of his college-day S; of 
whom the greater part " had fallen asleep" in death ; — 
to the days of his ministration of the gospel of liis Divine 
Master, both in the church of his people, and to the 
heathen of a remote wilderness ; — to the scenes of ad- 
vanced years, when the infirmities of age were pressing 
upon him, — and, sadly and solemnly, to the lamented 
dead of his household and of his love, long since '• buried 
out of his sight,*" leading the way to that better world, 
from which he himself was not far distant. 

" 'While thus occupied, almost forgetting himself in 
the multitude of his thoughts, he was suddenly disturbed, 
and even terrified, by loud hurras from behind, and by 
a furious pelting and clattering of balls of snow and ice 
upon the top of his wagon. In his trepidation, he dropped 
his reins, and, as his aged and feeble hands were quite 
benumbed with cold, he found it impossible to gather 
them up, and his horse began to run away. In the midst 
of all the old man's trouble and alarm, there rushed by 



136 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



THE teacher's STORY. 



him, with loud shouts, a large party of boys, in a sleigh 
drawn by six horses. " Turn out, turn out, old fellow ! — 
give us the road, old boy! — what '11 you take for your 
pony, old daddy 7 "— " Go it, frozen-nose ! "—"What 's 
the price of oats? " were the various cries that met his ears. 
'-'' Pray, do not frighten my horse ! " exclaimed the infirm 
driver. '' Turn out, then,— turn out ! " was, the answer, 
which was followed by repeated cracks and blows from 
the long whip of the "grand sleigh," with showers of 
snow-balls and three tremendous huzzas from the boys 
who were in it. The terror of the old man and of his 
horse was increased, and the latter ran away with him, to 
the imminent danger of his life. He contrived, however, 
after some exertion, to secure his reins,— which had been 
out of his hands during the whole afi*ray,— and to stop 
his horse just in season to prevent his being dashed 
against a loaded team. As he approached Salem, he 
overtook a young man who was walking toward the same 
place, and whom he invited to ride. The young man 
alluded to the grand sleigh which had just passed, which 
induced the old gentleman to inquire if he knew who the 
boys were. He replied that he did ; — that they all be- 
longed to one school, and were a set of wild fellows. 
"Aha ! " exclaimed the former, with a hearty laugh,— 
for his constant good-nature had not been disturbed.'— 
''do they, indeed? Why, their master is very well known 
to me. I am now going to his house, and I rather think 
I shall give him the benefit of this whole story." A short 
distance brought him to his journey's end — the house of 
his son. His old horse was comfortably housed and fed, 
and he himself abundantly provided for. That son, boys,' 
is your instructor ; and that aged and infirm old man' 



MOKAL INSTRUCTION. 137 

THE RESULT AND SURPRISE. 

that ^'- old fellow '^ and '■^ old hoy^^ (who did not turn 
out for you. but who would have gladly given you the 
whole road, had he heard your approach); that ^'- old 
hoy^^^ and ^^ old daddy ^^^ and ^^ old frozen-nose^^ ^ was 
your master's father ! ' 

"It is not easy to describe, nor to imagine, the effect 
produced by this new translation of the boys' own narra- 
tive. Some buried their heads behind their desks ; some 
cried ; some looked askant at each other ; and many 
hastened down to the desk of the teacher, with apologies, 
regrets, and acknowledgments, without end. All were 
freely pardoned ; but were cautioned that they should be 
more civil, for the future, to inoffensive travellers, and 
more respectful to the aged and infirm. 

'^ Years have passed by. Most of the lads are men, — 
though some have found an early grave. The ' manly 
boy ' who told the story is ' in the deep bosom of the 
ocean buried.' They who survive, should this meet their 
eye, will easily recall its scenes, and throw their memo- 
ries back to the school-room wherein we passed so many 
pleasant hours together, and to their old friend and well- 
wisher, H. K. Oliver." 

Another illustration of the manner in which a deep 
impression may be made is the following, taken from the 
" Theory and Practice of Teaching," a work written by 
that distinguished instructor, the late D. P. Page. The 
volume is replete with good sense and sound views, and 
should be in the library of every teacher and friend of 
education : 

''lean never forget — nor would I, if I could — a 
lesson impressed upon my own youthful mind, conveying 
the truth that we are constantly dependent upon our 
12* 



138 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

AN ILLUSTRATION FROM MR. PAGE. 

heavenly Father for protection. In a plain country 
school-house, some twenty-five children, including my- 
self, were assembled, with our teacher, on the afternoon 
of a summer's day. We had been as happy and as 
thoughtless as the sportive lambs that cropped the clover 
of the neighboring hill-side. Engrossed with study or 
play, — for at this distance of time it is impossible to tell 
which, — we had not noticed the low rumbling of the 
distant thunder, till a sudden flash of lightning arrested 
our attention. Immediately the sun was veiled by a 
cloud, and a corresponding gloom settled upon every face 
within. The elder girls, with the characteristic thought- 
fulness of woman, hastily inquired whether they should 
not make the attempt to lead their younger brothers and 
sisters to the paternal roof before the bursting of the 
storm. For a moment, our little community was thrown 
into utter confusion. The teacher stepped hastily to the 
door, to survey more perfectly the aspect of the western 
heavens. Immediately returning, he signified to the 
children that there would not be time for them to reach 
their homes before the tempest would be upon them. 
Oppressed with dread, — for it is no uncommon thing for 
children in the country to be terrified by lightning, — 
some of the youngest of us clung to our older brothers or 
sisters, while others, being the sole representatives of 
their family in the school, for the first time felt their 
utter loneliness in the midst of strangers, and gave utter- 
ance to their feelings in audible sighs or unequivocal sobs. 
" The teacher, meanwhile, with an exemplary calmness 
and self-possession, closed the windows and the doors, 
and then seated himself quite near the younger pupils, to 
await the result. The thick darkness gathered about us, 



MORAL INSTRUCTION. 139 

THE TEMPEST. 

as if to make the glare of the lightning, by contrast, 
more startling to our vision; while the loud thunder 
almost instantly followed, as it were the voice of God. 
The wind howled through the branches of a venerable 
tree near by, bending its sturdy trunk, and threaten- 
ing to break asunder the cords which bound it to its 
mother earth. An angry gust assailed the humble build- 
ing where we were sheltered ; it roared down the capa- 
cious chimney, violently closed a shutter that lacked a 
fastening, breaking the glass by its concussion, and almost 
forced in the frail window-sashes on the western side of 
the room. Quicker and more wild the lightnings glared, 
flash after flash, as if the heavens were on fire ; louder 
and nearer the thunder broke above our heads ; while 
the inmates of the room, save the teacher, were pale with 
terror. At this moment, there was a sudden cessation 
of the war of elements — a hush — almost a prophetic 
pause ! It was that brief interval which precedes the 
falling torrent. 

" A dread stillness reigned within the room. Every 
heart beat hurriedly, and every countenance told the 
consternation that was reisjnino; within. It was an awful 
moment ! With a calm voice, breathing a subdued and 
confiding spirit, the teacher improved this opportunity to 
impress upon our young minds a great truth. ' Fear 
not, children,' said he ; 'it is your heavenly Father that 
sends the storm, as well as the sunshine and the gentle 
breeze. You have been just as much in his power all 
day as you are at this moment. He has been as near 
you, supporting you, supplying you with breath, with 
life, all through the pleasant morning : but then you did 
not see him. He is just as able to protect you now ; for 



140 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

THE STORM CEASES. A PSALM IS READ. 

"not a sparrow falls to the ground without his notice," 
and he ruleth the storm, and " rideth upon the wings of 
the wind." We should ever feel willing to trust him, 
for he is ever able to grant us deliverance from all our 
dangers. God is here now to protect us.' Just as he 
had finished these words, the rain began to fall. First, 
the drops were few and scattered ; but soon the windows 
of heaven were opened, and the thirsty ground was 
abundantly satisfied. The sound of the thunder became 
fainter and fainter as the cloud passed away ; the sun 
burst out again in renewed splendor ; the full drops glit- 
tered in his beams upon the grass ; the birds began their 
songs ; the rainbow spanned the eastern hills ; and our 
hearts, taught by the timely instructions of a good man, 
began to expand with eager gratitude for our preservation 
by the hand of our heavenly Father. 

' ' The remainder of the afternoon passed happily away ; 
and, when our books were laid aside, and we were ready 
to burst out of the room to enjoy the refreshing air and 
participate in the general joy, the teacher, taking the 
Bible from the desk, asked us to remain quiet a moment, 
while he would read a few words that he hoped we 
should never forget. The passage was the following, 
from the 65th Psalm : 

" 'By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer 
us, God of our salvation ; who art the confidence of all 
the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar ofi* upon 
the sea : 

" ' Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains 
being girded with power : 

" 'Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of 
their waves, and the tumult of the people. 



MORAL INSTRUCTION. 141 



CONFIDENCE IN GOD URGED. 



'' ' They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are 
afraid at thy tokens : thou makest the outgoings of the 
morning and evening to rejoice. 

'' 'Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it; thou 
greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full 
of water ; thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so 
provided for it. 

" ' Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly ; thou 
settlest the furrows thereof; thou makest it soft with 
showers ; thou blessest the springing thereof : 

" ' Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and 
thy paths drop fatness. 

' ' ' They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness ; 
and the httle hills rejoice on every side. 

" 'The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys 
also are covered over with corn ; they shout for joy, they 
also sing.' 

" After closing the book, the teacher said, ' Go out, 
now, children, and witness how perfectly these words 
have been fulfilled toward us this afternoon ; and, from 
this day's mercies, learn hereafter to trust God as confi- 
dently in the storm, when he displays his power by his 
outward "tokens," as when he kindly smiles upon you 
in the beams of the glorious sun, or gently breathes upon 
you in the morning breeze.' We went forth, bounding 
in gladness and gratitude, and saw the ' outgoings of the 
evening to rejoice,' 'the pastures clothed with flocks,' 
'the valleys covered over with corn,' 'the little hills 
rejoicing on every side,' — we heard, also, the general 
shout for joy ; and we felt, as we never before had felt, 
a deep, thorough, abiding conviction of the truth that 
God is our father and our friend, — the God of our sal- 



142 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

THE INSANE OLD MAN. 

vation. I know not how soon these impressions faded 
from the minds of the other children ; but for myself I 
can say, that, from that time to the present, whenever I 
have been exposed to apparent danger from the impend- 
ing tempest, the warring elements, or the ravages of 
disease, the teachings of that hour have always revived 
in my mind to soothe my troubled spirit, and to reassure 
my faith and confidence in the presence of an all-sufficient 
and merciful Preserver. A thousand times have I de- 
voutly blessed the memory of that faithful teacher, for 
having so early and so happily turned my thoughts 
upward to Him in whom ' we live, and move, and have 
our being.' " 

A certain teacher, on his way to the school-room, one 
morning, saw several of his pupils collected around an 
insane old man in the streets, making themselves bois- 
terously merry at his condition, and doing much to increase 
his excitement. He did not stop, as some would have 
done, to utter commands and threats, but passed quietly 
to the place of his labors, and quickly summoned the 
scholars, by the usual signal, to assemble. At a suitable 
time, after the opening of the school, he called for their 
attention, and addressed them in substance as follows : 
''My young friends. — I was much pained, a short time 
ago, in witnessing a crowd of boys making themselves 
merry at the unfortunate condition of an old man. It 
would have been a painful sight under any circumstances, 
but it was peculiarly so in this instance, as the boys were 
members of this school, and most of them were boys of 
good character, good feeling, and, generally, of good 
intentions, — boys from whom I expected much by way 
of good example and good influence. 



MORAL INSTRUCTION. 143 

THE teacher's REMARKS. 

'' That old man, now so decrepit in body and shattered 
in intellect, was once a happy school-boy, — the joy of 
his parents and friends. He grew to manhood, and was, 
for many years, an upright, virtuous, respected, and 
useful citizen. He did much for the improvement of 
this, his native town, — much to make your early advan- 
tages and privileges superior to his. By the hand of 
Providence, and not from errors of his, has his reason 
been dethroned, and he now wanders a harmless maniac, 
— a fit object of pity for every one. He has sons and 
daughters, who feel deeply for him ; many friends, who 
lament his sad condition. How, tliink you, they would 
have felt, if they had witnessed what I saw 7 Would it 
not have caused their hearts to ache and grieve afresh '? 
How, my dear young friends, would you have felt, if 
that man had been your father ? Could you or would 
you have acted as you did 7 I know you would not. It 
would almost break your hearts to see a fond parent thus 
treated. Bereft of reason, that poor old man says and 
docs what he would not do if he were in his ' right mind.' 
Possessed of reason, you have abused it, and oifended 
against the laws of God and the rights of your fellow- 
beings. You have done a great wrong ; but I would 
fain hope you acted without thought. I trust you Avill 
never again so far lose your self-respect, and so far for- 
get the rights of others, as to be guilty of a similar 
wrong. I beseech you, never allow youi-selves, under 
any circumstances, to trifle "with the unfortunate, or to 
say or do aught which can cause the slightest pain to 
any one. You are now young and happy : but who can 
tell what your condition may be, long before you shall 
have lived as many years as that old man has 7 Perhaps 



144 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

A mother's prayers and a father's counsels. 

you may become maniacs in a worse sense than he is. 
Misfortune may mark you, and make you at once objects 
of pity and dread. Then strive to live wisely ; pity the 
erring and unfortunate, and never wound the feelings of 
any one." 

Would not remarks similar to these make a salutary 
and lasting impression upon the young, and prove much 
more eifectual than a hasty and unguarded reprimand ? 

''The true teacher will feel his spirit burdened with 
the weight. of influence, for good or evil, which he knows 
he must exert ; and he will often tremble, as he asks 
himself, ' "What shall befall the children of my care 7 ' 
and ' What shall be the effect of my instructions on their 
young and phant minds ? ' 

"Many a just and noble man has owed his greatness to 
a gentle mother's prayers, a kind father's counsels, or a 
faithful teacher's words ; and many a man of sin has 
traced his character of crime and infamy to some unwise 
control, or some neglect or injudicious counsel, in his 
youth. If, then, the teacher's influence be so important, 

* Well may he tremble, as he prays 
For some kind spirit to direct his ways.' 

" The following anecdote may not be deemed wholly 
inappropriate in this connection. A celebrated artist, in 
one of his rambles, met with a most beautiful and inter- 
esting child. It was the finest and most perfect child, 
he thought, that he had ever seen. 'I will,' said he, 
' paint the portrait of this child, and keep it for my own ; 
for I may never look upon its like again.' He accord- 
ingly painted it ; and, when trouble came, and evil pas- 



MORAL INSTRUCTION. 145 



THE PORTKAITS ; ANECDOTE. 



sions moved his spirit to rebel, he gazed upon the likeness 
of the boy, and passion fled, and holier thoughts entranced 
his soul. He said, ' If I can find a being that will an- 
swer for a perfect contrast to the child, — one in whom 
is concentrated everything vile and ugly of which I can 
conceive, — I will paint his portrait, also.' 

"Years passed away, and he saw no person sufficiently 
hideous 'to answer his design. At length, while travel- 
ling in a distant land, he went within a prison's walls, 
and there he saw, stretched upon the floor of stone, the 
object which his fancy had portrayed. A man, whose 
soul was stained with blood, with glaring eyes and hag- 
gard face, and with demoniac rage cursing himself and 
his fellow-beings, and blaspheming God, lay chained 
within that miserable abode, awaiting the appointed hour 
of execution. 

" The artist transferred his likeness to the canvas, and 
j)laced it opposite the cliild"s. The contrast was most 
striking and complete. The angel boy, — the fiend 
man ! What must have been the feelings of the artist, 
when, upon inquiry, he ascertained that both portraits 
w^ere of the same individual being ! The beautiful, the 
innocent child, had grown into the hideous, the sinful 
man ! " ^ 

If it be true that any mismanagement, or neglect of 
proper moral training, on the part of a parent or teacher, 
can render such a transformation possible, how earnestly 
and constantly should those who have aught to do with 
the young strive to lure them in wisdom's ways ! 

How much may be done, by the interested teacher, to 

* P. H. Sweetser. 

13 



146 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

A LESSON ON KINDNESS : ANECDOTE. 

promote a kindly spirit and feeling in the hearts of the 
young ! Instances will daily occur, in which he may 
do something by way of cultivating the tender sensibili- 
ties of his pupils. An affectionate and devoted teacher 
gives the following illustration: "It is a cloudy day in 
midsummer. The air of the school-room seems more 
close than usual. Some of the young people appear 
fatigued, some playful, and very few deeply interested in 
their studies. The teacher, after calling their attention, 
says : ' Children, you know little Mary has been sick a 
long time. She cannot come to school ; she cannot go 
out to play. Who would like to send her a bouquet of 
flowers 1 ' Every hand is raised, every face is animated 
with pleasure. They are requested to bring their flowers 
in the afternoon. The table is loaded ; a beautiful bou- 
quet is arranged; a note is written by the teacher in 
behalf of the scholars, and a messenger from their num- 
ber despatched with the gift to the sick room." Who 
can limit the happy influence of this little act of kind- 
ness, — delightful alike to the givers and the receiver, — 
pleasant for the contemplation of all ? A beautiful fra- 
grance diffuses itself from that little bunch of flowers, 
which has a perpetuating and pleasing effect, directly oi 
indirectly imparting joyous emotions to many a heart. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

EMULATION AND PRIZES. 

The subject of emulation has of late been often dis- 
cussed ; and it is one on which the friends of education 
entertain quite a diversity of opinion. That a laudable 
emulation to excel in well-doing, founded on good motives, 
and stimulated by unselfish means and inducements, is 
desirable, but few will gainsay. But that emulation 
which is encouraged by the proflfer of some prize, or by 
the mere desire to surpass and outshine a fellow-student, 
is highly objectionable and pernicious. While I freely 
admit that some good results may emanate from a prize- 
encouraged emulation, I at the same time feel that the 
ill consequences will so greatly preponderate as to render 
it unwise to introduce any such system into our plans for 
school instruction. The following are some of the nsoro 
prominent objections to a prize-fostered system of emu- 
lation : 

1. The extreTYie difficulty of selecting the most de- 
serving from a class of com/petitors. 

In a school of thirty pupils, twenty may so conduct and 
apply themselves as to secure the general approbation 
of their instructor and friends, — some, perhaps, slightly 
excelling in one particular, and others in another. Now, 
it is no easy task to select from this number some four 
or five as the best, all circumstances considered, without 
doing a real or apparent injustice to the remainder. It 



148 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

■ ■ — ■ — — — ■ — ■ — • 

OBJECTIONS TO PRIZES. 

would, under these conditions, seem almost unkind to 
intrust it to men of fallible judgment to decide as to the 
exact degree of merit. Would it not be better that all 
should be left to enjoy the satisfaction emanating from a 
consciousness of duty faithfully discharged, than that one 
should be unduly, and, it may be, undeservingly, exalted, 
while the many are made to suffer unfavorably, and per- 
haps unjustly, by the decision of partial or incompetent 
men? 

2. The difficulty of determining what, and hoit) 
much, regard shall be had to the external aids and 
circu?nstances of the aspirants. 

One boy may be surrounded by kind and intelligent 
parents and friends, and receive such home or fireside 
influence as shall greatly encourage and facilitate all his 
operations, while another in the same class may occupy a 
situation the very reverse. While the former has nothing 
to interrupt, but much to assist him, at home, the latter, 
if he has a home, receives from it no kindly influences, 
but many hindrances and drawbacks. The latter may 
be the more industrious, and strive the more zealously 
and perseveringly, and, on the ground of real self- 
exertion and self-merit, richly deserve success, and yet 
fail, on account of the adverse influences to which he is 
exposed, and for which he should not, in any degree, be 
considered accountable. 

3. A fell) are stimulated, and the many discour- 
aged. 

Boys will very soon satisfy themselves concerning 
their own individual prospects of success ; and, if these 
are against them, they will often give up, with the idea 
that it is in vain for them even to try. And thus, not 



EMULATION AXD PRIZES. 149 

UNPLEASANT RIVALRY FOSTERED. 

unfrequently, the boy who is naturally bold, prompt, and 
persevering. — the boy who certainly needs not a pros- 
pective prize to stimulate him, — will, with ease, and 
without any self-denying toil, reach the goal and bear 
away the "palm," while the more diffident and distrust- 
ful, but, perhaps, more deservitig, will become discour- 
aged in the onset, and leave the course free for his more 
fortunate, but not more meritorious rival. 

4. The rivalry consequent upon a contest for prizes 
often engeyiders or calls forth some of the baser feel- 
ings and passions of the heart. 

Have not enmities often been caused in this way which 
have continued, with increasing bitterness, through a long 
life ? The boy whose heart rankles with envy and hatred 
at the success of his classmate at school, will, if life con- 
tinues, look upon his every successful step in the journey 
of subsequent life with the bitter and malicious feelings 
of envy. 

5. Boys should be traiiied to regard some higher 
and better object than the mere attainment of a prize^ 
as a7i i?iducement to good deportme?it and diligent 
application. 

A desire to become useful, respected, and happy citi- 
zens, should be prominent in the mind of every member 
of a school. If, in reply to this, it is urged, that school- 
prizes are merely attractive way-marks to lure them 
onward to a higher and nobler object, I would answer, 
that danger lurks in the way ; and, before that better 
object is gained, the mind may become entirely en- 
grossed, or the kindly feelings of the heart blunted or 
perverted, in the pursuit or attainment of the way allure- 
ment. 

13* 



150 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

ANECDOTE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. 

6. I'mj)roper measures are often adopted to gain 
the desired end. 

Boys who are trained to regard the attainment of some 
prize as a chief inducement to excel, are strongly tempted 
to resort to means alike dishonorable and selfish. Thus 
it not unfrequentlj happens, that, in their efforts to gain 
the desired end, they overlook the rules of right, and 
disregard the feelings or circumstances of others. Says 
Sir Walter Scott, " There was a boy in my class at 
school who stood always at the head of the class ; not 
could I, with all my efforts, supplant him. Day after 
day, and week after week, he kept his place, in spite of all 
my endeavors to get above him. I at length observed, 
that, when a question was asked him, he always fumbled 
with his fingers at a particular button on his waistcoat. 
To remove it, therefore, became expedient, in my eyes ; 
and, in an evil moment, it was removed, with a knife. 
Great was my anxiety to know the success of my meas- 
ure ; and it succeeded too well. When the boy was 
again questioned, his fingers sought, as usual, for the 
button, — but it was not to be found. In his distress, he 
looked down for it ; but he could neither see nor feel it. 
He stood confounded, and I took possession of his place ; 
nor did he ever recover, or ever, I believe, suspect who 
was the author of his wrong. Often, in after life, has 
the sight of him smote me, as I passed by him ; and often 
have I resolved to make him some reparation, — but it 
ended in good resolutions." Thus, what one gained by 
stratagem, proved a serious and irreparable loss to the 
other. If a system could be estabhshed, by which all 
who gained a certain attainable point of excellence could 
be equally rewarded, there might be less serious objection. 



EMULATION AND PRIZES. 151 

MOTIVES FOR ACTION. 

But, under present circumstances, the safest and best 
course for the teacher is, to allure his pupils onward 
by holding before them the great, sure, and attainable 
rewards which come from well-doing. Thus influenced 
by pure motives, with " Excelsior " for their motto, they 
may press safely onward and upward. 

But how shall the, teacher form, in his pupils, habits 
of industry and perseverance, without emulation 7 I will 
answer briefly, in the words of another : ' • First, he must 
excite and discipline their curiosity. This is acknowl- 
edged to be a common feeling, and ever active in chil- 
dren, if properly trained. There are certain kinds of 
knowledge which always interest them, and which their 
curiosity leads them to investigate. They are fond of 
the marvellous and the wonderful. Let all science, then, 
be made to partake of this character, — for this really 
belongs to it, — and curiosity will lead them to examine 
it. It is a great merit in a teacher to be able to excite 
the curiosity of his pupils concerning things pertaining 
to their ordinary studies. 

"Another powerful motive is, the love of approba- 
tion^ — the desire to gain the favor of the wise and good, 
and the approval of their teachers, parents, and friends. 
We met, a few days ago, with a young lady, a former 
pupil of ours, who is now a successful teacher in a gram- 
mar-school. For a year or two, she caused a great deal 
of trouble in the school, by neglecting her duties, and 
otherwise abusing her privileges. At last, a sudden 
change took place in her conduct, and, from one of the 
most troublesome scholars, she became one of the best. 
During some conversation relating to the school, she 
said, ' I remember what first induced me to alter my 




152 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

LOVE OF KNOWLEDGE. OBLIGATIONS. 

course. You praised me. I found I had met your 
approbation, and I determined to deserve it.' 

" Again ; the teacher should labor to inspire his pupils 
with the love of knowledge. It is difficult, we are aware, 
to cause young children to realize the importance of edu- 
cation. Indeed, they are not capable of appreciating, to 
any considerable extent, the intrinsic value of knowledge ; 
but, that it may be presented in so attractive a manner 
as to gain their attention, and, in most cases, ultimately 
to secure their love, we fully believe. To induce chil- 
dren to love learning, the teacher must be deeply inter- 
ested in it himself; and he must show to them that he 
considers it of the first importance. And it is well, also, 
for the teacher to be interested in their knowledge, and 
in things which seem, to them^ important ; to sympa- 
thize with them in their joys, and in their trials ; for, by 
so doing, he will lead his pupils to sympathize with him, 
and to feel an interest in that which is of consequence to 
him. The teacher should possess a sort of mesmetnc 
influence over the minds of his pupils, that shall enable 
him to enter into their thoughts, and to control their 
acts. 

Finally; the teacher should earnestly endeavor to 
impress upon them an idea of their obligations to them- 
selves, and to their fellow-beings. He should teach them 
that talents and privileges were given them to use, not 
to abuse ; that there arc duties devolving upon them from 
which they cannot escape, and in the performance of 
which they cannot fail to realize their highest good. He 
should strive to impress upon them a sense of their de- 
pendence upon God ; their accountability to Him, and 
the consequences that inevitably follow good or evil deeds. 



EMULATION AND PRIZES. 153 

EXPERIENCE THE BEST SCHOOLMASTER. 

It is true, that such influences may not always produce 
the speediest result ; but we should 

* Learn to labor and to wait ;' 

for, if we cast our bread upon the waters, we shall find it 
again, if not till after many days. It is not true, we 
think, that children stimulated by these motives will be 
necessarily dull and lifeless. Experience is said to be 
the best schoolmaster ; and twenty years' experience as a 
teacher has fully convinced us that scholars may be bet- 
ter governed and better taught, and that the pupils will 
be more cheerful and happy, under such influences, than 
when controlled by the spirit of emulation." * 

* P. H. Sweetser. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

PRIMAKY SCHOOLS. 

Our primary schools have not yet assumed that posi- 
tion in the minds of the people which their importance 
demands. In them the young receive their earliest and 
most lasting school impressions. While work that is 
well done here will facihtate all subsequent school efforts, 
instruction incorrectly imparted, or neglect suffered, will 
tend to embarrass and render more difficult all future 
efforts, both on the part of the learner and teacher. If 
correct habits of discipline, mental and physical, are 
thoroughly estabhshed at the outset, the result of later 
labors will be rendered more effectual and certain. The 
poet says, 

" As the twig is bent the tree 's inclined." 

If this is so, how important that early attention be given 
to the formation of right habits of thought, study, action, 
and expression ! And yet, is it not often the case that 
many things are attended to carelessly, or utterly neg- 
lected, with the feeling that pupils are so soon to enter a 
higher school 7 • 

What would be thought of that cultivator who should 
neglect his plants and young trees while in the nursery, 
and assign as an excuse, that they were soon to be removed 
and transplanted into a situation in which they would 
receive more care and attention 7 Is it not considered 



PRIMARY SCHOOLS. 155 

IMPORTANCE OF FIRST IMPRESSIONS. 

the part of true wisdom to watch and train them with 
the greatest care while in the nursery, that they may 
become fit subjects for transplantation 7 If, while there, 
they are suffered, from an over-growth of weeds and 
thorns, or from any other source, to become crooked, and 
dwarfed, and ill-shapen, they can never after be trans- 
formed iiito perfect and well- developed trees. But, if 
properly started and cared for in the nursery, their after 
growth and productiveness will be rendered sure and 
satisfactory. 

So it is with our primary schools. Good or bad hab- 
its formed in them will, usually, exhibit themselves in 
the higher grades of schools. Impressions which children 
here receive will ' ' grow with their growth, and strengthen 
with their strength." How important, then, that these 
impressions be of the right kind, and that they be sea- 
sonably and wisely made ! How desirable that they lay 
broad, and deep, and well, the foundations on which the 
higher schools are to rear a superstructure ! How much 
time and strength, that, in many cases, must, necessarily, 
be spent in undoing and re-doings might be most pleas- 
antly and profitabl}^ spent in extending and perfecting 
the good work, if properly commenced ! If pupils in our 
primary schools receive wholesome and judicious train- 
ing, their future instruction and discipline will be ren- 
dered easy and pleasant. 

The feeling sometimes prevails, that any one will 
answer to teach a school of small children. This is a 
great error. It requires a rare combination of excellent 
qualities to form a good teacher for a primary school ; 
and it is to be hoped tliat, hereafter, true merit will be 
more fully appreciated, and more adequately rewarded. 



156 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



STUDIES FOR PKIMARY SCHOOLS. 



It is not desirable that many studies should be intro- 
duced into these schools ; but it is important that what is 
done should be ivcll done. Reading, spelling, and some- 
thing of geography and arithmetic, are, probably, as 
many branches as can be attended to with any profit. In 
addition to these, quite a variety of miscellaneous exer- 
cises may be and should be introduced. Very young 
children take great pleasure in making figures and draw- 
ings upon their slates. It is very essential that every 
primary-school room should be furnished with a great 
variety of pictures, maps, &c., that the pupils may have 
an opportunity to copy the same. The practice will be 
of advantage to them, and tend to interest them during 
many hours that would, otherwise, be passed in hst- 
lessness or idle mischief Let them also spend much 
time in copying figures upon their slates or upon the 
blackboard. It is very desirable that figures should 
be made neatly and plainly ; and a little daily practice 
in our primary schools will do much towards securing 
these useful points. After the pupils have acquired the 
ability to make figures with a good degree of freedom 
and distinctness, let them be required to arrange them in 
columns, with a special reference to having them straight. 
Practice will do much in this particular. They can 
also spend much time in printing letters, and copying 
words, and making drawings of such simple objects as 
may be placed before them. Some of the more advanced 
may be allowed to write the words of their spelling exer- 
cises upon the blackboard or slate. In conducting a 
spelling lesson for a younger class, it will be found inter- 
esting, if the teacher will require the pupils to name the 
letters of a word while she writes the same upon the 



PRIMARY SCHOOLS. 157 

WRITING WORDS ; SPEAKING PIECES. 

blackboard. The judicious teacher will vary such exer- 
cises, and succeed in combining instruction and amuse- 
ment. The older pupils in these schools may, profitably 
and pleasantly, spend some of their time in writing short 
sentences. Suppose, for example, the teacher writes 
upon the blackboard the following words. — Dog, Horse. 
Boy, — and asks the pupils to write a short sentence 
about each. The result may be something like the fol- 
lowing : The dog barks ; The horse runs : The boy loves 
play. These, it is true, are very simple, but will answer 
for a beginning. Such exercises will prove highly inter- 
esting and useful ; and, after a little practice, much 
longer sentences will be written with ease. Another 
valuable and pleasant exercise is " speaking pieces." 
Quite young scholars may profitably learn and speak 
short pieces of poetry, prose, or dialogue. But great 
care should be taken to have them speak with a proper 
regard to distinctness of enunciation, and propriety of 
emphasis and inflection. If suitable lessons in simple 
composition, or writing of sentences, and declamation, 
should be introduced into our primary schools, they would 
greatly tend to dispel the dark clouds which often hang 
around these exercises when commenced at a later day. 
But, unless they receive right attention, it would be 
better never to have them introduced. 

Reading and spelling should receive prominent atten- 
tion, and great care should be taken to establish habits 
of distinct utterance and clear enunciation. Every effort 
should be used to secure a correct comprehension of what 
is read, that pupils may read with the ' ' spirit and under- 
standing " too. If possible, the teacher should cause them 
to feel interested in their reading exercise. She may do 
14 



158 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

MENTAL ARITHMETIC. 

something towards awakening an interest, by asking them 
many questions respecting the subject of the lesson. 

If pupils in these schools would make free use of the 
dictionary, it would be for their good. Let them be 
early and carefully trained to look for the meaning of 
such words as they do not comprehend, and they will 
form a habit which will prove valuable to them in all 
subsequent life. The practice will please them, and 
occupy time which would, otherwise, be spent in idleness. 

At an early age, — indeed, at the very outset, — chil- 
dren should be thoroughly taught in relation to the shape, 
name, and power of each letter ; and the frequent prac- 
tice of giving the various sounds of the different letters 
will prove highly serviceable. It will also prove a pleas- 
ing and profitable exercise to require them to spell words 
by giving the appropriate sound or power of each letter, 
instead of calling its name. 

In exercises in mental arithmetic, the teacher should 
insist upon precision and accuracy in answers and expla- 
nations. Their minds should not be too severely taxed, 
but what they do should be done well. In reciting, the 
pupils should have no books open. The teacher should 
read the question carefully and distinctly, and then call 
upon some one to repeat it and explain it. This will 
tend to secure the attention of all, and prove a good dis- 
cipline for the memory. It may require a little extra 
patience, at first, on the part of the teacher ; but its 
advantages will amply compensate for the same. If 
geography is the subject, let the teacher aim constantly 
to secure a clear and full understanding of all that is 
attended to. Let every definition and every term be 
properly explained. It is often the case that scholars go 



PRIMARY SCHOOLS. 159 

GEOGRAPHY. — POSITIONS. 

over much ground, without obtaining a single definite 
idea. I have known a whole class answer promptly and 
correctly many questions in geography, and yet, when 
asked where the earth was, or if they had ever seen it, 
they manifested entire ignorance. Like parrots, they 
could utter, ''Geography is a description of the earth," 
but without the slightest idea that they had ever seen it, 
or played about its fields, and hills, and valleys. A very 
correct idea of boundary may be formed by requiring 
pupils to tell how their school-yard, or their parents' gar- 
dens or farms, are bounded. The names and boundaries 
of the towns in the county, the names of the counties of 
a state, and also the names of the states, may be, in due 
time, considered and learned. But let every step be 
made as intelligible and interesting as possible. 

It will be very interesting to the young to have their 
exercises interspersed with singing and changes of posi- 
tion. Indeed, some teachers teach the multiplication- 
table, and other tables, with the aid of music. A change 
of position, by some simultaneous movement, will be inter- 
esting and profitable. It is very tedious for small chil- 
dren to sit for a long time without change of position. 
It will be quite a pleasant relief for them, if, at the end 
of each hour, the whole school can go through with some 
changes of position similar to the following, — the partic- 
ular exercise being indicated by a figure : 

1. Sit erect, and fold arms. 

2. Extend right hand. 

3. Extend left hand. 

4. Extend both hands. 

5. Clap hands. 

6. Place right hand on top of head. 



t 

160 COMxMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

CHILDREN SHOULD BE MADE HAPPY. 

7. Place left hand on top of head. 

8. All rise. 

9. All turn half-way round. 

10. All sit. 

11. Place faces upon desks. 

The changes may be varied and extended by the teacher ; 
and the frequent practice of them will serve as a recre- 
ation, and be promotive of health. Some teachers are 
accustomed to require their pupils to sit much of the 
time with their arms folded. This habit is a bad one, 
and should not be encouraged. 

It should be a prominent object of the teacher of a 
primary school to make the pupils happy ; and to com- 
bine, so far as may be, instruction with amusement. In 
order to gain the affection of pupils, a teacher must 
manifest a lively interest in all their affairs. It is some- 
times the case that an instructor, by her coldness, and 
formality, and reserve, destroys the attraction that should 
exist between her and her pupils. Some even feel that 
they must be so precise and dignified, in all their move- 
ments and expressions, that they fail of securing the 
hearty confidence of the young. Now, the teacher may 
exhibit pleasure in the amusements of her pupils, and 
sometimes take part in the same, without injury to her- 
self or them. A parent once expressed to Mr. Wright, 
the instructor of the Edinburgh Infant School, sur- 
prise at the idea that a schoolmaster could make him- 
self the object of love. Mr. Wright requested the parent 
to remain, and see how he treated his pupils. He did 
so ; and saw the kindness, the cheerfulness and sport- 
iveness which never flagged, while he saw discipline 
and instruction, at the same time. The children, at 



i 



PRIMARY SCHOOLS. IGl 

ANECDOTE OF A SCOTCH SCHOOL. 

recess, went upon the play-ground, and, to the amuse- 
ment of the visitor, the teacher ran out, crying, ''Hare 
and hounds ! hare and hounds!" and, taking the first 
character on himself, he was instantly pursued by the 
whole pack, round and round the play -ground. At last, 
he was taken and worried by an immense act of coopera- 
tion. In his extremity, he rang his hand-bell for school ; 
instantly the hounds left their prey, rushed into the 
school-room, and, in less than a minute, were busy Avith 
their lessons. The visitor departed with a shrug, say- 
ing, '' Na, the like o' that I ne'er saw." 

While it cannot be expected that all teachers can do 
as the instructor of this Scotch school did, it may be 
hoped that all Avill manifest an interest in the rational 
amusements of their pupils. By so doing, they will 
gain an influence which will be of great service to them. 
Such a course will enable teachers to obtain a knowl- 
edge of the habits and dispositions of pupils, which could 
not be so well learned in any other way. On the play- 
ground, children usually act themselves, without restraint, 
and exhibit individual traits of character more fully than 
in any other situation ; and, if teachers will manifest 
some interest in their sports, they will gain their confi- 
dence, and thus be enabled to work more understandingly 
and efiiciently. 

Teachers should always aim to encourage and cheer 
their pupils, and make all their exercises as pleasant as 
possible. This will do them much good, and animate 
them with a spirit of persevering application. If the 
young are, in a proper way, made to feel that they do 
well, they will, by the very means, be incited to do still 
better. It will increase their confidence in their own 
14* 



162 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



THE BEST ORGANIZATION. 



ability, and inspire them with a happy spirit. The con- 
sciousness of receiving the approbation of those we esteem 
affords pleasure and encouragement. 

I have alluded to primary schools as they are usually 
organized, containing children between the ages of four 
and ten years. A more perfect and complete organiza- 
tion of schools would have primary schools embrace 
pupils from six to eight years of age, with an intermedi- 
ate school for children between the ages of eight and ten 
years, and a grammar school, into which all who are suf- 
ficiently qualified may enter after arriving at the age of 
ten years. Such an arrangement may be made in vil- 
lages where the children are sufficiently numerous to 
require the attention of three teachers. 



CHAPTER XX. 

' LESSONS AND RECITATIONS. 

In the assignment of lessons, and in the mode of con- 
ducting recitations, it will be necessary to exercise much 
good judgment and discretion. One of the most desirable 
things in a school is, to keep the pupils properly em- 
ployed. If their time and attention are suitably directed 
to their lessons, they will be kept from many troublesome 
habits. Idleness is the source of most of the mischief in 
schools ; and he who wishes to have an orderly school, 
in a quiet way, must aim to give his pupils constant and 
regular employment. 

But, while the teacher seeks to assign lessons, the 
learning of which will require the close application of the 
members of his school, he should be careful that he does 
not overtask them, and check their ardor. Some pupils 
wull learn a lesson much more readily than others ; and 
hence it will not answer to adapt the length of a lesson 
to the capacity of the best pupils. It should be brought 
within the ability of the more moderate members of a 
class ; but it should be such as will demand their close 
application and earnest attention. The teacher should 
strive to inspire them with a true thirst for knowledge, 
and cause them to feel that the highest pleasure will 
arise from the mastery of the greatest difficulties. 

The true design of lessons and school exercises should 



164 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

THE OBJECT OF EDUCATION. 

not be lost sight of. It is not, to store the mind with 
words, and rules, and problems, — but to discipline it, and 
fit it for grasping and comprehending whatever subject 
may come before it in life ; in other words, it should be 
trained to investigate and think. When one of the 
ancient philosophers was asked what a certain pupil 
should learn, he gave the following noble reply: "Let 
him learn that which will be of service to him when he 
becomes a man." And, I add, he who has acquired the 
habit of close reflection, and examination, and a true 
spirit of self-reliance, has gained that knowledge which 
will be of essential service to him, life's journey through ; 
while he who has not formed these habits will become a 
comparatively useless and inefficient man, though his 
head be stored with the mere contents of all the books 
ever published. 

I repeat again, that the true end of all lessons should 
be intellectual discipline. "The common impression 
seems to be, that the mind is to be distended with knowl- 
edge, rather than braced with discipline. And much of 
past instruction has been calculated to foster the idea, 
that the child, hke his own passive verb, is ' to be acted 
upon.' He is to be taught^ merely; and somehow, by 
the agency of talking and explanation, and, as it were, 
puncturing and rousing the dead flesh of ignorance with 
an interrogation-point, on the part of the teacher, and 
monosyllabic expressions of easy assent, on the part of the 
scholar, he can be raised to intellectual life, and trans- 
formed from the child in his folly to a man in intellectual 
things. I need hardly say that this is a mistake in fun- 
damentals; it is an error in doctrine. Do you, 
teacher, suffer your pupil to learn memoriter 7 Do you 



LESSONS AND RECITATIONS. 165 

KNOWING, BUT UNABLE TO TELL. 

allow him to suppose he has mastered a subject, while 
he has to rely on your questions in the recitation of it ? 
Do you suffer him to proceed, for instance, in mathe- 
matics, without subjecting him to the habit of rigid 
analysis, and compelling him to see and assign, un- 
prompted, a reason for every step, — without obliging him 
to construct his own rules, and thus grow in discipline 
every day ? Then you can never raise the little company 
of your disciples to the mount of clear \ision, and make 
them strong-minded men ; you are, rather, in the great- 
est danger of sinking them a thousand fathoms deep in 
the Dead Sea." * 

The teacher should incite his pupils so to study their 
lessons that they may understand them, and give clear 
and unequivocal proof of their comprehension when 
called upon to recite. Let this be done thoroughly, and 
we shall not see so many school-rooms filled with pupils 
''who knoiv^ but cannot tell. Pupils who have the 
knowledge, but cannot find it. They know just where 
it is ; but, like a thief's honesty, in the moment of trial 
it is not there ! This genus is a large one ; and it de- 
serves what editors call a notice^ though I think not a 
piiff. They have studied all science and art, and know 
everything, and yet know nothing. They seem to be 
well versed, and ' ready to communicate,' so long as the 
question-asking teacher manages the ' discharging-rod.' 
They are so ready to ansioer^ that they seem to overflow 
with knoAvledge. But, when without this assistance they 
are called upon for an exposition of what they know, 
alas ! they suddenly find that their knowledge, like fare- 

* W. C. Goldthwait. 



166 COxMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

ANECDOTE OF A PUPIL. 

well emotions, 'lies too deep for utterance.' As it is 
said of some cutaneous disorders, it has ' struck in,' — 
though, I believe, without producing any congestion at 
the centre ! But, dropping the language of ridicule, we 
should remember that the pupil does not know till he 
can tellP 

Some teachers have a wonderful faculty of " carr^/- 
ing''' their pupils over much ground, without going into 
it. It would answer about as well, if such should carry 
their pupils on their shoulders over the book closed 
and sealed. Some parents, too, appear to be perfectly 
satisfied in knowing that their children are attending to 
a long list of studies, though they may not acquire a^iy 
well-grounded, definite or thorough understanding of a 
single branch. The learning and repeating of certain 
stereotyped rules in a book are nlistaken for a clear 
understanding and general application of principles. 
Pupils thus trained will resemble the youth in the fol- 
lowing case. Says a teacher: "A lad of seventeen 
years once said to me, with an air of considerable import- 
ance, ^ I went through DaholV s Arithmetic three times 
last winter^ sir; and lean do any question iii the 
hardest cipher in g-book you can bring. '' I did not dis- 
pute him ; for I did not doubt that he could, mechani- 
cally^ obtain the answer to almost any question he could 
find in a book^ set down under a specijic rule. But, 
presuming that he, hke many others, had made figures 
without thinkings I asked him if he could tell me what 
twenty pounds of beef would come to, at ten cents per 
pound, provided two-thirds of it was fat. After a mo- 
mentary and awkward hesitation, he said, ' If you will 
tell me what the fat comes to, I will do the question.' 



LESSONS AND RECITATIONS. 167 

THE " TRYING-OUT " PROCESS. 

As I smiled at this, he said, with much spirit, ' If you 
will tell me what rule it comes under, I will do it.' I 
continued silent, for his ludicrous embarrassment pre- 
vented mj speaking at the instant, when he, with great 
earnestness, exclaimed, ' It is an unfair sum ; I never 
saw such a sum in the book in my life.' " 

And thus it is with many ; they do not examine^ 
they do not thb\k. They have not yet learned that 
thinking has anything to do with an education. The 
unfortunate lad, just alluded to, had never accustomed 
his mind to seek for the lohy and wherefore. No ; that 
two-thirds fat he could not digest ; he could not put it 
under any rule ; — indeed, he had never before seen a 
question that had any fat in it, and he was entirely 
unacquainted with the ^'^ trying-oiit''^ process. 

It is, often, a fault, with a teacher, that he confines his 
instruction to the strict letter of the text-book, and rests 
satisfied if his pupils answer the questions, or solve the 
problems, of the book, without making any attempt to 
test their ability to apply the knowledge thus gained. 
It is wonderful to see how much mere text-book knowl- 
edge one may have, and yet possess little or no ability to 
bring that knoAvledge to bear upon the practical, business 
operations of every-day life. A certain man had a son 
who was considered quite a prodigy in the mathematical 
department. The father prided himself on the facility 
and accuracy with which his son would perform all arith- 
metical calculations and operations. On a certain occa- 
sion he purchased, of a market-man, a load of turkeys. 
The seller of the turkeys readily reckoned the amount he 
Avas to receive for his load ; but this did not accord with 
the purchaser's views. His son Solomon was the only 



168 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

TURKEY RULE. RECITATIONS. 

one who could do such questions with sufficient accuracy 
to suit him ; and Solomon was accordingly called, and 
requested to ascertain what the load of turkeys would 
come to. With slate in hand, he seated himself, and 
began making figures. After a suitable time, he was 
asked for the result. His reply was, " I have not quite 
got it yet." After a longer time had elapsed, the father 
again called, with some feeling of impatience, for the 
answer, when Solomon said, " To tell the truth, father, 
I cannot do the question, for I have never ciphered in 
turkey rule." 

Let the pupil be accustomed to receive questions of a 
practical nature, aside from those in the text-book, and 
he will study his lessons with the intention of under- 
standing them, and not with the mere design of repeating 
the words or rules of the book. 

Recitations. — Much depends upon the manner of 
conducting a recitation. From a visit to some schools, 
one might infer that it was the teacher's part to recite, — 
and that, in many cases, to very inattentive listeners. 
Some teachers talk so much and so loudly, in their 
attempts to explain and simplify a lesson, as rather to 
confuse than enlighten. 

The scholar should be made to feel that it is his duty 
to recite his lessons, and that the greatest merit will con- 
sist in the clearest and promptest answers and solutions. 
He should be made to feel that he must gain a clear and 
definite understanding of the subject under consideration, 
so that he may impart his knowledge in a plain and intel- 
ligible manner. He should be induced to regard that 
accuracy and positiveness in his explanations which can 
only emanate from a complete and thorough comprehen- 



LESSONS AND RECITATIONS. 169 



ANECDOTE. — CLEARNESS. 



sion of his subject. Many scholars acquire a habit of 
indefiniteness and confusedness in relation to their les- 
sons. The J may feel pretty certain that one of two 
answers is correct, but they cannot with any degree of 
certainty say which. The color of the article under con- 
sideration is either black or white, but which positively 
they know not. They are in a condition like that of 
the Irish recruit, who, on being asked, by his officer, 
what his height was, replied that the man who meas- 
ured him said it was five feet ten, or ten feet five, but 
exactly which it was he could not tell at all, at all, — 
though sure he was that one of the two was right ; and 
all this, too. with a feeling that either would answer. 
Now, who cannot see that such indefiniteness is not 
knowledge, — it is mere guessing? 

The following excellent suggestions are from the pen 
of Rufus Putnam, Esq., for many years principal of the 
Bowditch School, Salem, Mass. : 

' ' Recitations should be conducted in the manner best 
adapted to the cultivation of all the mental powers. In 
recitations in geography, for example, the draAving of 
maps is an exceedingly valuable exercise ; but it should 
be done without reference to the map, except as it was 

studied before coming to recitation 'The teacher 

should ever esteem it a duty, of the highest importance, 
to do what he may to invest his pupils with the power of 
fixing the attention. All else that the pupil may learn 
will be of little value, compared with this; and if he 
shall succeed in cultivating this faculty, and imparting 
a high degree of this power, he may consider himself 
amply repaid for any amount of labor it may have cost 
him. It is not always easy to secure the undivided 
15 



170 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATIOIT. 

MODE OF CONDUCTING A RECITATION, 

attention of scholars in time of recitation : they will listen 
attentively to the remarks of the teacher ; but to listen 
to each other while reciting, so carefully as to notice 
their errors and omissions, is not so easy. I have found 
no mode of conducting recitations better adapted to 
secure the attention of the pupils, and to profit them in 
every respect, than the following : 

" The class should have all the time and assistance 
they need to enable them to learn the lesson assigned, 
so that no one shall come to the recitation unprepared, 
except in consequence of his own neglect. The teacher 
should propound the questions to the scholars, generally, 
not in any particular order, but promiscuously ; stating 
the question before naming the scholar who is to recite. 
If any scholar does not understand the question, he will 
make it known before any one is called to answer. If 
the scholar called on does not know the question, he is 
considered as failing, and another is called upon to 
answer. As a general rule, the scholar should be allowed 
to go through with his answer, right or wrong, without 
assistance or interruption by either the teacher or one of A 
the class. If he commits an important error, neither the 
teacher, nor another member of the class, should notice 
it by any outward token -whatever ; and the next ques- 
tion may be propounded just as if the last had been 
answered correctly. The scholar next called on to 
answer will correct the error made by the one who pre- • 
ceded him, if he observed it. If he does not correct it, 
he, also, is charged Avith the error, although he should 
answer his own question correctly ; — and soon, each 
scholar being charged with as many errors as he allows 
to pass uncorrected: though it may be best to require no 



LESSONS AND RECITATIOXS. 171 

DEFINITE AXSWEIIS. AXECDOTK. 

scholar to correct more than one error. The teacher, 
all the while, remains, as much as possible, a silent lis- 
tener, until the recitation is finished, — carefully noticing 
all the errors. Having thus exhausted the knowledge of 
the class, as far as time will permit he will remark upon 
any error which remains uncorrected ; decide who were 
right, and who were wrong, among those who differed in 
their answers ; and give such explanations and additiona. 
instruction as the case demands. By conducting the 
recitation in this way, a strong motive is presented to 
the scholar to study the lesson carefully before recita- 
tion ; to depend on himself, and not on his teacher, while 
reciting ; to watch, attentively, the whole recitation ; to 
discriminate between answers nearly^ and those which 
are exactly, correct ; and, at the close of the recitation, to 
listen with interest to the remarks which the intelligent 
and faithful teacher will, if left to himself, seldom omit. 
Good judgment will be needed in introducing such a 
mode of conducting a recitation to a class unaccustomed 
to it ; and it would not be expedient to observe this mode 
strictly in hearing recitations upon all subjects, and iVoni 
pupils in every stage of advancement ; but I would rec- 
ommend as near an approximation to it as the circum- 
stances will admit." 

Pupils should ])c required to give clear and well-defined 
answers at the first trial. Many scholars have a won- 
derful faculty of recovering from an incorrect answer, 
after catching a hint of their inaccuracy from the class 
or teacher. They say one way, and then recall it. and 
say they " meant to say " so and so, which is often quite 
the reverse of what they had said or thought previously. 
A Frenchman once said of a certain sword, '' Dis ish de 



172 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

HOW SOME PUPILS DO. 

sword vich Balaam had." "But," replied a hearer, 
"Balaam had no sword; he only wished he had one." 
"Well," said the pertinacious Frenchman; "I mean, 
dis ish de very sword dat he vish he had." 

Thus it is, often, with some scholars ; they discover 
their error, and the true answer, from some circumstances 
or expressions, and then undertake to assume a right 
position by "0, yes; I meant so." Of course, they 
meant to give the true answer, even if they knew it not. 

Some teachers are much accustomed to having their 
pupils recite in concert. This, I think, should not 
often be encouraged. Some exercises may be recited by 
the pupils simultaneously to good advantage ; but this 
mode of reciting too often constitutes a shield for the idle 
and inaccurate pupils. Whenever it is adopted, the 
teacher should insist that all answer immediately and at 
the same instant, so that none may gain a " catch-word " 
from others in his class. 

The instructor should have the fullest assurance that 
all rules, explanations, and illustrations, in connection 
with a lesson, are perfectly comprehended. It is an 
excellent plan to encourage scholars to ask questions, and 
make observations, in reference to the passing lesson. 
Let them, if possible, be so trained that they will feel 
perfectly free to ask for any further explanation, or to 
make any suggestions that may occur to their minds. 
At the close of a recitation, it may be well to request any 
member of a class to ask any question in reference to 
the lesson, or name any point upon which he would like 
to receive more or clearer information. It is of the 
utmost importance that the desire to gain a distinct and 
clear understanding of every subject be early and firmly 



LESSONS AXD RECITATIONS. 173 

J. D. PHILBRICK ON RECITATIONS. 

formed, and, also, that a true spirit of self-reliance and 
self-possession be carefully and earnestly encouraged and 
promoted. 

J. D. Philbrick, for many years an efficient teacher in 
Boston, and now principal of the Connecticut State Nor- 
mal, uses the following very sensible remarks, in answer- 
ing the question, ^^ Hoio shall the teacher proceed^ in 
order to render a particular recitation as pleasant and 
jirojitahle as possible ? " 

" As a preliminary step, in attempting to reach this 
result, it is important to give pupils definite and partic- 
ular directions as to the manner of preparing their les- 
sons, and the manner in which they will be expected to 
recite. The difficulties they will be likely to meet 
should be anticipated, and, though not solved and cleared 
up, such hints should be thrown out as the case may 
require. The means of securing faithful preparation, on 
the part of pupils, does not come within the range of our 
present subject. But let us suppose that object attained, 
and the recitation commences. 

" Attention is the most important thing now to be 
required of the pupils, — undivided attention, — the atten- 
tion of the whole class as long as the recitation continues. 
I put an important question to one of my pupils a few 
days since, which he could not answer, and pleaded as 
an excuse, and with eyes filled with tears, that it was 
not in the book, and he had never heard it before. But 
the fact was, that it had been discussed and answered, in 
his presence, on the day previous, while he was inatten- 
tive, and so he was none the wiser for what had been said 
about it. Instruction is wasted on minds while in such 
a state. It is seed sown by the wayside. 
15* 



174 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

ATTENTION. ENERGY. 

" Attention is a fundamental requisite of a good reci- 
tation, and must be secured, at any cost ; for, without it, 
the best of instruction can neither be understood nor 
retained. The teacher should leave no expedient untried 
till he has succeeded here ; for it is idle to obtain other 
conquests while this victory remains to be achieved. But 
he must not attempt impossibilities, and contend against 
nature, with the expectation of a complete mastery ; for 
there are some wits so wandering, that no art can keep 
them on the same subject for a long time. Pupils of 
this description need to have the kaleidoscope turned 
often before their mental vision. The attention of young 
scholars is soon wearied ; and it is very injudicious to 
drag their jaded minds through long recitations. Their 
mental repast should be short and sweet. They will 
come to them, then, with a sharp appetite, though often 
called. 

"Before dismissing this topic, it is proper to observe 
that there are two kinds of attention, — that which is 
caused by an interest in the subject under consideration, 
and that which is yielded from a sense of duty, and under 
the pressure of necessity. The former should be aimed 
at when it is desirable to deposit knowledge in the mem- 
ory safely. The latter is useful as a mental discipline. 
When the Athenian orator was asked what was the most 
important thing in speaking, he replied, ''Action; the 
second requisite, action; the third, action.'' And I 
would say the same of attention^ in recitation. 

" Energy is another essential requisite in a good reci- 
tation. This quality should never be omitted. It should 
enter into every action, however minute and trivial. In 
rising up and in sitting down, in the posture of the body 



LESSONS AND RECITATIONS. 175 

THE teacher's MANNER AND EXAMPLE. 

and holding the book, it should be constantly insisted 
upon. Indistinct utterance is, not unfrequently, the 
result of a slothful habit of using the organs of speech, 
especially the tongue and lips. In such cases, energy is 
the only remedy. The organs of the body, as well as 
the faculties of the mind, should be trained to prompt 
and vigorous action in every exercise in the recitation 
where it is possible. A right use of the respiratory organs 
is an efficient means of promoting habits of energetic 
action. I suppose that it was on this principle that Na- 
poleon selected men for action who were provided with 
ample nostrils and capacious lungs. 

" But, in our earnestness and zeal for the fortiter in 
re, it is well, on the other hand, to guard against forget- 
fulness of the siLciviter in modo. Energy should be 
well tempered with the attractive grace of gentleness- 
It may be useful, also, to bear in mind, that there is a 
marked difference between energy and noise, — a differ- 
ence similar to that between lightning and thunder. The 
literal meaning of energy is inward-workingness ; and, 
where it really exists, it will make itself felt, though 
speaking in a ' still small voice.' 

^ ' The example of the teacher is the best mode of secur- 
ing energetic habits in pupils. Energy is contagious. 
Let the teacher be active, brisk, and decisive, in his 
manner, and the same qualities will be reflected in his 
pupils. On the other hand, who ever found a class any- 
thinor but tame and listless in the hands of a teacher 
eminent for sluggishness and inactivity ? There is no 
better rule on this subject than that in the holy proverb, 



' Whatever our hands find to do, let us do it with all our 
might.' 



176 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

ENCOURAGEMENT. EXACTNESS. 

" Encouragement^ when judiciously applied, is a 
powerful agent in promoting the objects of recitation. It 
is what scholars of all grades need. Children must have 
it, or they will not succeed. Encouragement, in educa- 
tion, is like the sun in the natural world ; nothing can 
supply its place. The teacher who knows how to dis- 
pense his smiles of appro])ation wields a greater power 
than ever slept in the rod, or was contained in the lan- 
guage of censure and reproach. Make a pupil think he 
can do a thing, and he can do it. Possimt, quia posse 
videjitur. This is a consideration which recjuires partic- 
ular attention, as teachers are constantly prone to bestow 
the largest share of encouragement where it is least 
needed. How much more are the bright and bold schol- 
ars praised, and cheered on, than the dull and timid ! 
Scholars should be encouraged to ask questions and sug- 
gest the difficulties which occur to their minds ; for sensi- 
ble and pertinent questions require thought, and promote 
mental activity. The skilful teacher will answer one 
question in such a manner as to provoke many more ; 
and, when the appetite of his pupil has become sufficiently 
keen, he will be directed to the sources of information, 
and encouraged to work the mine of knowledge on his 
own account. 

^^ Exactness is a point which should be rigorously de- 
manded in recitation. There can be no such thing as 
good scholarship, or good instruction, without it. In 
pronunciation, it is not enough to avoid inaccuracies ; the 
utterance should be complete in every respect, and free 
from all defects. Fragments of sentences, and incohe- 
rent phrases, should not be received as answers to ques- 
tions. It fosters a slovenly habit of expression, and robs 



LESSONS AND RECITATIONS. 177 

A MODE OF ANSWERINQ. 

the pupil of the best practical means of acquiring readi- 
ness and correctness in the use of language. It is an 
important rule to require the pupil to include the ques- 
tion in his answer, and form a complete sentence, which 
can stand alone. For example ; if the teacher put the 
question, ' What is the capital of France 7 ' it is not 
enough to* receive for the answer, ' Paris.' The answer 
should be thus, — ' The capital of France is Paris,' or 
thus, — ' Paris is the capital of France.' I am aware 
that it will be objected to this mode that it consumes too 
much time ; but, if a teacher will but adopt it, and prac- 
tise it for some time, he will find that it is well, some- 
times, ' to stay a little, that he may make an end the 
sooner.' 

"In every recitation, it should be the aim of the 
teacher to call into exercise as many faculties as possible ; 
for it is only by exercising them that they can be developed 
and perfected. When it is possible, principles should be 
deduced from the particular facts under consideration ; 
the pupils made to see how much more valuable the 
knowledge of one general truth is, than the knowledge of 
many facts. Every sort of routine in recitation should 
be avoided. The teacher who would be very successful 
must tax his invention to find out ways of varying the 
exercises, though always keeping the great end in view." 



CHAPTER XXI. 

EXAMINATIONS AND EXHIBITIONS. 

School examinations, judiciously regarded and prop- 
erly conducted, have a beneficial effect upon teachers, 
pupils, and parents ; but, that they may answer their 
true design, and produce the favorable results for which 
they are instituted, their object should be clearly under- 
stood and wisely observed. An examination in the pros- 
pect should tend to stimulate both teachers and pupils so 
to perform all their school duties that they will, at any 
time, bear a strict and candid inspection. It should not, 
however, be considered as an end^ but merely as an 
auxiliary, in the great work of education. 

It is sometimes the case that an instructor and his 
pupils look upon examination-day as the day for which 
all previous school days were made ; and they apply all 
their powers, and devote all their energies, to a formal 
preparation for its exercises. This is all wrong, as it 
tends to form incorrect views in relation to the true 
nature and purpose of all school training. Teachers and 
pupils should daily labor with a strong desire to do their 
work so faithfully that it will at all times bear the test 
of a close examination. Nothing can be more erroneous 
than the idea, which some appear to entertain, that the 
exercises and recitations of a single day, in the presence 
of a crowd of people, who have entered the school-room 
for the first time during the year, will afford a fair 



EXAMINATIONS AND EXHIBITIONS. 179 



THE OBJECT OF EXAMINATIONS. 



criterion for deciding upon the condition of a school, and 
of the past fidelity of teacher and pupils. On such occa- 
sions, the very circumstances will tend greatly to modify 
the real appearance of a school^ both as regards deport- 
ment and recitations. The unusual assemblage often 
tends to abash or confuse the best pupils of .a school. 
Many a good scholar has had his spirits crushed, and his 
ardor checked, by failures resulting from embarrassment 
on the day of examination. On such occasions, the chil- 
dren are frequently subjected to an ordeal that would be 
trying to adults. Sometimes the mere excitement attend- 
ant upon an examination causes many pupils to appear to 
great disadvantage. 

The true object of an examination should be, to ascer- 
tain whether, under all the circumstances, teacher and 
pupils have performed their daily duties in a faithful and 
intelligent manner, so that they deserve the continued 
approval of committees and parents. The desired knowl- 
edge on this point can be more satisfactorily obtained by 
occasional and informal visits to a school, than on a set 
examination-day. I would, therefore, suggest, that, 
instead of the mode of examining schools now so com- 
mon, committees should visit the schools under their 
charge as frequently as may be, and without previous 
notice. At these visits, they should examine the several 
classes, with as much thoroughness as may be desirable, 
to ascertain their true condition. The teacher's methods 
of teaching and governing should also be carefully ob- 
served, and every step taken that may seem essential to 
gain a correct understanding of the true condition of the 
school. 

These occasional visits will aiford an insight into the 



180 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

EXHIBITIONS. 



every-day movements and state of the school, and give a 
more just view of the nature of the relation which sub- 
sists between the instructor and pupils. Results, m 
themselves highly satisfactory, as exhibited on examina- 
tion-day, may have been produced by methods and pro- 
cesses very unsatisfactory. 

At the times of these visitations, it should be the aim 
of the teacher to conduct the several exercises precisely 
as he does when no visitors are present, that the school 
may appear in its usual condition. If the committee 
wish to examine any class or classes more at length, the 
teacher should most cheerfully acquiesce, and do all 
Avithin his power to impart a correct understanding of the 
condition of the school, with all its defects, as well as 
excellences. If pupils have been idle or heedless, let it 
be seen to their disadvantage ; if they have been diligent 
and attentive, let it appear to their credit. M 

If these informal visits shall tend to satisfy the com- 
mittee that the schools have been laboring wisely and 
faithfully in all their relations: an opportunity should be 
afforded the teachers, at the close of their several terms, 
to present such an exhibition of the school as may best 
tend to interest parents and pupils. But it should be 
regarded as an exhibition, and not as an examination. 
It should be an occasion that will be alike gratifying to 
pupils and parents,— a sort of assurance that school 
duties have been so satisfactorily performed as to entitle 
pupils and teacher to the privilege of exhibiting their 
more pleasing and less irksome exercises. The speakmg 
of pieces, rehearsal of dialogues, and reading of composi- 
tions, may, in part, constitute the exercises on these occa- 
sions. Their true object should be, to show what the 



EXAMINATIONS AND EXHIBITIONS. 181 

THEATRICAL SHOW TO BE AVOIDED. 

pupils can do, — to present the school in its most favor- 
able aspect. Such exhibitions will tend to interest 
parents, and induce many to enter the school-room who 
would not come, under ordinary circumstances, — and, 
if rightly improved, they will furnish opportunities for 
calling the attention of parents to some of their school 
duties and obligations. It should, however, be the aim 
of all concerned to avoid every appearance of mere theat- 
rical show, and to have all the exercises such as have a 
salutary influence and leave pleasant impressions. 
16 



CHAPTER XXII. 

MULTIPLICITY OF STUDIES. 

There is a feeling quite too prevalent, in the commu- 
nity, that a multiplicity of studies is really essential to 
good scholarship. Hence, many branches are attended 
to superficially^ while no branch is pursued systemat- 
ically and thoroughly. Parents and pupils frequently 
imbibe the impression that a long list of studies will pro- 
duce good scholars. But a more stupendous error can- 
not be conceived. Our schools, at best, can furnish but 
a foundation^ upon which the whole subsequent life 
must erect a superstructure. It is vastly more important 
that this foundation be accurately, strongly, and fitly 
made, than that it contain a great variety of material. 

I would not be understood as undervaluino; the higher 
branches, but merely as being opposed to substituting 
them for the elementary and indispensable ones. I would 
not have a pupil attend to geography of the heavens until 
he knew something of the geography of the earth ; nor 
would I allow Chemistry, Astronomy, Geometry, Botany, 
Geology, and a long list of other ologies, to take the 
place of Reading, Spelling, Arithmetic, and other fun- 
damental studies. Let a good foundation be well and 
thoroughly laid, and then the pupil has that on which he 
may rear a superstructure of any desired nature and 
extent. But, how often is it that pupils are allowed to 
fritter away their time upon some of the more accom- 



MULTIPLICITY OF STUDIES. 183 

TOO MANY STUDIES. ANECDOTE. 

plished, though really less useful branches, and that, too, 
when they are sadly deficient in their elementary train- 
ing ! How many misses spend their time on music and 
embroidery, French and painting, who might, with more 
propriety, spend some time over the spelling-book, and 
in learning the uses of the needle and the flat-iron, or 
listening to the music of the broom ! 

A gentleman, who was for many years at the- head of 
a popular^ academy, says : "A young lady once came to 
place herself under my care, with the intention of becom- 
ing a teacher. Upon examination, I found her exceed- 
ingly ignorant in the common branches of an English edu- 
cation ; but, perceiving, from her appearance, that she 
had a course of study marked out in her own mind. I asked 
her what branches she wished to pui'sue while under 
my care. Said she, ' I wish to study Chemistry, Philos- 
ophy, Astronomy, and French. — paint a mourning-piece, 
read Spanish, conjecture a map, and learn bigotry.' " 
Thinking the last-named sufficiently abounded without 
culture, he very readily conjectured that there was some 
mistake in the nomenclature ; and, upon further examin- 
ation, he was induced to substitute botany for bigotry. 
And is it not true, that, in many schools, there are 
scholars Avho can neither pronounce nor spell the names 
of the branches they pursue 7 

The truth is, that nearly every man has some favorite 
study, which he wishes to have occupy a prominent place 
on the catalogue of school studies ; and, if the notions 
and whims of all should be gratified, it would require no 
inconsiderable efibrt merely to remember the names of 
the various branches to be pursued. I recently heard 
quite a discussion on the propriety of making agriculture 



184 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

■ — --» 

PROPER STUDIES FOR COMMON SCHOOLS. 

a distinct subject of school instruction. Now, though we 
have a very exalted opinion of farming, we can see no 
good reason why it should be singled out from the numer- 
ous other occupations as a department of common-school 
study ; and, should such be the case, we should soon find 
other occupations clamorous for their share of attention, 
until it would be necessary to construct school-houses on 
entirely new principles. While, outside, a small farm 
would be needed, we should, within, in addition to the 
usual study-room, want one for a carpenter's shop, one 
for a smithery, another for a cooperage, another for a 
shoemaker's, with a basement for a cotton factory, and 
the attic for a tinman's shop. These, in full operation 
at one and the same time, under the superintendence of 
one man, would render all occasion for vocal music un- 
necessary ; and, if the young did not become qualified 
for the pursuits of life, they would certainly become 
familiar with the din of business. 

Our common schools, constituted as they are, should 
be limited as to the branches to be taught in them. 
Reading, Spelling, Penmanship, Arithmetic, Geography 
and History, Grammar, including, of course, composition 
and letter- writing, single-entry Book-keeping, probably 
comprise all the branches that can be advantageously 
pursued in our public schools. These, thoroughly and 
properly taught, will fit the young for assuming a respect- 
able stand in life ; but the acquisition of higher branches, 
without a well-grounded understanding of these, will 
only subject one to constant occasions for mortification. • 
What matters it, if one understands Chemistry, Geometry, 
French, and Latin, with many other branches, if he can- 



MULTIPLICITY OF STUDIES. 185 

NO TEACHER SHOULD IMITATE SERVILELY. 

not read intelligibly, spell correctly, write legibly, or 
pen a neat and readable letter ? 

Assuming that the above branches are all that can be 
profitably introduced into our common schools, I will 
proceed to speak of each of them separately, and impart 
such hints in relation to each as may seem most import- 
ant. It will not be my purpose to tell precisely how 
each branch shall be taught ; but I shall, rather, aim to 
make such suggestions in relation to each as may be of 
some value to those who may engage in the great busi- 
ness of educating the young. Every instructor, who 
w^ould be truly successful, must constantly draw upon 
his own resources ; and, while he may profit much from 
the suggestive hints of others, he should strive, studiously 
and wisely, to improve from these hints, by modifying 
plans, and adapting them to the peculiar Wants and cir- 
cumstances of his own school. It is the part of wisdom 
and prudence to draw instruction from every proper 
source, — it is the part of folly servilely to imitate, in 
all particulars, the plans and movements of any one, 
regardless of circumstances. 

The hints I may give, or the suggestions I may make, 
•will, it is believed, prove, directly or indirectly, service- 
able to others ; and, possibly, some of the modes of teach- 
ing that may be designated may be deemed worthy of 
adoption. If, in relation to a single branch, some new 
idea may be developed, or some new interest awakened 
in the mind of any one, the author will feel that his 
'labor has not been wholly in vain, or useless. 
16=^ 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

READING. 

Of the several branches attended to in our schools, no 
one exceeds, in importance, that of reading; and, per- 
haps, it may be added, that none is so imperfectly taught. 
There are various reasons for this ; two or three of which 
I will allude to. 

In the first place, the number of those in the commu- 
nity who read but miserably, or indiiferently, is so much 
greater than that of those who read with a good degree 
of excellence, *that an imperfect model is constantly exert- 
ing its influence. Both teachers and pupils are unfavor- 
ably affected by this. It is not easy to over-estimate the 
good results of a correct example, nor to magnify the ill 
consequences of a wrong one. 

Again ; there is, on the part of the young, and also of 
many older persons, too much of a feeling, that a mere 
repetition of words constitutes reading, and that an ability 
to utter them with great rapidity is the highest attain- 
ment to be gained. This feeling, when it prevails, — and 
it often does, — stands directly in the way of all true 
advancement. It must be removed, before the first up- 
ward step can be taken ; and, to effect this, will require 
the patient, continued, and judicious efforts of the teacher,. 
and particular care and perseverance on the part of the 
learner. 

Another obstacle in the way of good reading has been 



READING. 187 



SET RULES NOT DESIRABLE. 



tlie small degree of prominence which has been attached 
to the exercise. In most schools, it has received a very 
formal attention, once or twice daily ; in but few have 
pupils been thoroughly and systematically trained in the 
science of reading ; in fewer still have they been inspired 
with a right estimate of the importance of the subject. 
The large number of pupils usually under the care of 
one teacher, and the variety of branches introduced into 
our schools, have made it almost impossible for the 
instructor to do all that has been desirable. In the press 
of school duties, reading, too often, receives a hurried 
attention, and is treated more as a merely prescribed 
study than as one oi pj'irnary consideration. 

It will not be my aim to give specific rules for teach- 
ing this branch, but, rather, to give a few such suggest- 
ive hints as may be of some value to teachers. While it 
is admitted that formal and precise rules may be of service 
in many instances, it is also believed, that a teacher, who 
possesses the ability to read well himself, and to infuse 
the right spirit into his pupils, will form good readers, 
"in spite " of set rules, and, often, better without than 
with their aid. 

"Three things, only," says the Rev. J. Pierpont, 
• • are required, to make a good reader. He must read 
so, in the first place, that what he reads shall be heard ; 
in the second, that it shall be understood ; and, in the 
third, that it shall be felL If a boy has voice, and intel- 
ligence, and taste enough, to do all this, then, under the 
personal guidance and discipline of a teacher who can 
read well, he will learn to read well; but, if he has 
not, he may study rules, and pore over the doctrine of 



188 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

SOME ESSENTIALS FOB READING WELL. 

cadences and inflections, till 'chaos come again,' — he 
will never be a good reader." 

In relation to the same subject, R. G. Parker thus 
speaks : "I have long been convinced that a good reader 
was never made by rules. Under the guidance of taste, 
judgment, discrimination, and good sense, the pupil will 
arrive at a better style of reading than when cramped by 
a rule, or confused by directions. The only rule that I 
esteem of any value, tp one who is learning to read, is 
this : Study the meaning of what you propose to read, — 
and, when you thoroughly understand it, pronounce it 
with the same tones, emphasis, pause, and accent, that 
you would use if you were uttering the same sentiments 
in common conversation." 

It is one of the first essentials, that the young should 
be thoroughly and carefully trained to habits of accuracy 
and distinctness of utterance, articulation, and enuncia- 
tion. These should receive special attention in primary 
schools ; but, if scholars pass through these without such 
elementary discipline, it should be imparted to them as 
soon after as possible, — for the longer incorrect habits, 
of any kind, are indulged, the more difficult will it be to 
eradicate them, and to form good ones in their stead. 
Every faithful teacher knows how very hard it is to break 
up imperfect and indistinct habits of utterance. If a 
child is allowed, for any length of time, to read in a 
faulty tone of voice, it will require unwearied pains, on 
the part of the teacher, to effect a change. But, if any 
wrong habits have, either from neglect or from inaccurate 
teaching, been formed, they should be studiously cor- 
rected, before any true progress can be expected. 

Pupils should early be made to understand, that good 



READING. . 189 



SUGGESTION ON READING. 



reading does not consist in the mere calling of words. 
They should be led to see and feel the difference between 
good and bad reading, and trained to a nice perception of 
correctness and incorrectness. It is only when one has 
a just appreciation of a good style that he will be able to 
read with the " spirit and understanding." In attempt- 
ing to form or improve a correct taste, and lead pupils 
readily and rightly to discriminate between an accurate 
style of reading and that which i^ otherwise, it will be 
well for the instructor to read a particular sentence, or 
stanza, in several different ways, — each illustrative of 
some defect or excellence, — and then call upon pupils to 
indicate the style which they consider least defective, 
and designate the errors -in the other modes. Let us 
suppose, for illustration, that the teacher reads the fol- 
lowing stanza in the three or four different ways desig- 
nated : 

•' Tell me not, in mournful numbers, 
Life is but an empty dream ! 
For the soul is dead that slumbers. 
And things are not what they seem." 

1. Read it too rapidly. 

2. Read it in a monotone. 

3. Read it as nearly correct as possible. 

4. Read in a "drawling" tone. 

After reading it in these several ways, and perhaps oth- 
ers, call upon the pupils to name that which they con- 
sider the best, and, also, to specify the defects in each 
of the other modes. Much may be done by this course 
towards forming a proper estimate of correct reading, — 
and such an estimate must lie at the very foundation of a 
good style. 



190 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

IMPORTANCE OF EMPHASIS. ANECDOTE. 

It is a very common error, with teachers, that they 
attempt too much at once. The true course is, to gain 
one point at a time, — to teach one thing clearly and 
thoroughly before passing to another. One of the most 
prevalent faults, in schools, is that of reading too rapidly. 
This habit usually has a train of evils connected with it, 
such as a neglect of emphasis, disregard of inflection, 
distinctness, &c. In order to eradicate this fault and its 
attendant evils, it will be useful, occasionally, to require 
a class to read short sentences in concert, — the teacher 
reading first, — with particular reference to slowness, 
clearness of enunciation, emphasis, &c. If a few sen- 
tences are selected, and used to illustrate the importance 
of due emphasis, good results will attend the same. Let 
us take an example : 

A lad was intrusted with a message like the following : 
' ' Charles, go and inquire hoio old Mrs. Sensitive is this 
morning ? " Not being particularly attentive to the true 
force of the message, Charles put the emphasis on the 
wrong monosyllable, and returned for an answer, that 
''Mrs. Sensitive would thank her neighbors not to 
trouble themselves in relation to her age, as that was 
something she felt competent to take care of herself." 

Perhaps the short and common question, " Do you 
ride to town to-day? " will serve as well as any to illus- 
trate the importance of right emphasis. Let it be read 
distinctly, in the various modes indicated by the italicized 
words, and let the pupils be questioned and exercised 
until they clearly see the qualifying effect of emphasis. 

'^ Do you ride to town to-day? " 

" Do you ride to town to-day ? " 

'' Do you ride to toion to-day? " 



READING. 191 



ONE THING AT A TIME. 



" Do jou ride to town to-day 7 " 

The skilful instructor Avill not be at a loss in selecting 
and using sentences which will illustrate this point of 
our subject, — and he should do so at an early stage, as 
reading without due regard to emphasis is as uninvit- 
ing as a painting in which no attention has been given to 
light and shade. Let the above, and other similar sen- 
tences, be read with the various changes of emphasis, so 
that pupils will see that each change gives a new shade 
to the import of the line. 

A similar course may be taken in reference to inflection, 
pitch, tone, &c. ; the prominent object being to attend to 
but one thing at a time, and to do that in such a manner 
as will make everything perfectly plain to the learner. 
If a pupil has contracted an unpleasant tone, immediate 
attention should be given to its correction. To accom- 
plish this, let the teacher read a short sentence, and 
require the pupil to repeat it without looking upon the 
book, and to continue doing so until he gives each word 
its proper sound. A whole class may, sometimes, utter 
words and sentences in concert to some advantas^e; 
though all concert exercises should be conducted with 
much discretion and care, — otherwise, they will serve to 
cover up existing defects. If the teacher is a good 
reader, — and every one should be, — he should often 
read to his pupils, that they may have the benefit of his 
example ; but, if his style is characterized by any prom- 
inent defect, the less frequently he reads, the better it 
will be for his pupils. In this respect, it can hardly be 
said that an imperfect model is better than none. 

It will prove interesting and profitable occasionally to 
conduct a reading exercise in poetry in the following 



192 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

PUPILS SHOULD UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY READ. 

manner. Let the first scholar read the first line, the 
second the next, and so on, through the class, — each 
one being required to commence and end with the same 
tone and inflection as he would if he should read the 
whole. This method will tend to secure the closest atten- 
tion, and will be attended with some advalitages. 

If the teacher can succeed in awakening a proper spirit 
of criticism, it will prove beneficial ; but he should strive 
to guard against the exercise of a selfish or unkind spirit 
in relation to this point. But, if he cannot secure a 
kindly feeling in this matter, it would be better not to 
seek its benefit. A little judgment and prudence will, 
ordinarily, produce right feeling and action. When this 
is the case, after a pupil has read a paragraph, let the 
other members of a class be allowed, under certain 
restrictions, to allude to any defects or errors that they 
may have noticed. This may help to form a watchful 
and discriminating habit. 

In order to read well, one should have a full and clear 
understanding of the piece which he attempts to read. 
He should, if possible, comprehend the feelings and inten- 
tions of the writer, that he may, for the time, make them 
his own. Hence, a teacher should incite his pupils to 
study their reading lessons, that they may gain a correct 
view of the writer's meaning. 

It is often the case, that teachers allow pupils to 
read too much at one time. It would prove much more 
beneficial, to require an entire class to read the same 
stanza or paragraph, and do it properly, than to allow 
them to pass over many pages imperfectly. If a class is 
large, and time will not suffice to give special drilling to 
every member, let the reading be confined to a less num- 



READING. 193 



A PAPER OR STORY-BOOK USEFUL. 



ber, and be carefully attended to by them. The general 
remarks, criticisms, &c., will be for the benefit of all. 

In addition to the readino; lesson of the reorular text- 
book, it will be found interesting and profitable to allow 
scholars, occasionally, to read some interesting story or 
narrative from some other book or paper. As only the 
one reading will have the piece before his eyes, the others 
will feel "the importance of distinctness, &c. It may be 
well for the teacher to name three or four scholars daily, 
from whom he will expect the reading of suitable extracts 
on the next day. This will allow them to study the 
same, with a particular reference to reading them under- 
standingly. Occasionally, the teacher may allow a whole 
class to make selection of stanzas or passages for read- 
ing, and allow them a short time for examining the same. 
This will tend to awaken an interest. The devoted and 
judicious instructor will ever aim to impress upon the 
minds of his pupils the true importance of good reading, 
and constantly strive so to conduct the exercise as to 
secure the desired end. 
17 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

SPELLING. 

To tlie list of branclies attended to in our schools, tLat 
of spelling is, almost -universally, added ; and yet it is^ 
probably, less thoroughly taught than most others. Many 
teachers seem to regard it as too simple to require their 
notice ; and hence, scholars may, often, be found quite 
proficient in some of the higher studies, when they are 
very deficient in their knowledge of orthography. One 
miay be able to write a letter which shall be alike excel- 
lent in diction and penmanship, and yet, if it is marred 
hy instances of bad spelling, its very excellences will 
seem like deformities. Beautiful thoughts, elegantly 
expressed and neatly written, may be entirely ineffective 
if set forth in a dress orthographically false, — even as 
the beauty of a painting may be destroyed by a few inac- 
curacies, though the colors be ever^so brilliant. Indeed, 
elegant writing and poor spelling seem most sadly at 
variance, when most closely connected. There is a very 
unequal and uncongenial " yoking together," which must 
at once attract the notice and pain the eye of every care- 
ful and critical beholder. 

Very ludicrous errors are sometimes made by inac- 
curacies in speMing. Many years ago, a few citizens 
of a district in a certain town sent a petition to the 
selectmen, requesting a meeting of the inhabitants to 
be called, for the purpose of making a division of the 



SPELLING. 195 



ANECDOTE. ERRORS IN TEACHING SPELLING. 

town. This petition did not contain the legal number of 
names, and was returned by the chairman of the select- 
men, with the following answer: "Your request cannot 
be complied with, because there are not the necessary 
number of si?iJiers [signers] on your petition." This 
rather aroused the feelings of the petitioners, who de- 
clared that their part of the town did not abound in 
smners, and it was for that reason, in part, that they 
wished to be divorced from the other section. 

In itself, the exercise of spelling is dry and uninterest- 
ing ; and hence it is the more essential that the instructor 
should strive so to conduct, and vary the mode of conduct- 
ing it, as to make it attractive. "With most young schol- 
ars, the usual oral method must be adopted ; but, as soon 
as pupils are able to write, much time may be devoted to 
written exercises. Indeed, quite young scholars may be 
^ allowed to write, or print, words upon slates or black- 
--• boards. There will be a three-fold advantage in this, — 
it will teach them to write or draw, keep them employed, 
and aid them in acquiring a knowledge of spelling. 

After briefly noticing one or two errors in the manner 
of conducting lessons in spelling, I will proceed to 
name two or three plans which may be found valuable 
and agreeable. 

Error 1. — Many teachers pronounce words improp- 
erly, by endeavoring to speak them too distinctly ; as, 
va-ri'-a-tion, la-bo-rl'-ous, e-vap-6'-rate, &c. 

Words should be plainly pronounced, and precisely 
as they would be uttered by a correct speaker. An 
undue emphasis, or prolongation of the utterance of a 
syllable, may enable the scholar to spell the word as 



196 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

IVIETHODS FOR SPELLING. 

pronounced, but will never make him an expert speller 
of words as properly spoken. 

Error 2. — The practice of allowing pupils to try 
upon a word more than once. 

It is very common to meet with teachers who habitu- 
ally allow their pupils to try two or more times upon 
each word. I consider this entirely wrong. It only 
tends to confirm an uncertain knowledge in relation to 
words, — and is not spelling, but mere guessing. Pre- 
cision, promptness, and accuracy, should be insisted upon, 
on the part of pupils, in all spelling exercises. If the 
oral mode is adopted, the teacher should speak the word 
once, distinctly and properly. The pupil should pro- 
nounce it after him, and then proceed to spell it, pro- 
nouncing each and every syllable as he spells. It is not 
workman-like style to spell a word without pronouncing 
the syllables. It may be well, at times, to require a 
whole class to pronounce a word in concert, after given 
out by the teacher, and before it is spelt by the pupil. 
This will tend to command the attention of the whole 
class. In spelling long words, it may sometimes be of 
service to pronounce a word, require the class to repeat 
it in concert, and then have the first scholar in the class 
give the first letter, the second the next, and so on, until 
all the letters are named. In this case, the syllables 
may be pronounced by the whole class as soon as com- 
pleted ; or, as soon as the letters of a syllable have been 
named in order, the next pupil may name the syllable, 
instead of giving the next letter, and so on. I will 
take, for illustration, the word oc-ca-sion. The whole 
class may pronounce the word ; then the first scholar 
may utter o, the second c, the third pronounce oc^ the 



SPELLING. 197 



HINTS ON SPELLING. 



fourth c, the fifth «, the sixth ca, and the whole class 
oC'Ca^ the seventh 5, the eighth t, the ninth o, the tenth 
71, the eleventh sion, and the whole class oc-ca-sion. 
This will animate a class, and be attended with some 
advantages. At all events, it will help to spice the exer- 
cise with variety. 

In order to secure the perfect attention of a class, the 
following methods will be found valuable ; and, at the 
same time, they will aid in awakening an interest, and 
causing improvement. 

1. Read a short sentence distinctly, and require every 
word to be spelt by the class, — the first scholar pro- 
nouncing and spelling the first word, the next scholar 
the second, and so on, until all the words in the sen- 
tence have been spelt. After a little practice in this 
method, scholars will be able to go through with quite 
long sentences, with a good degree of accuracy and 
promptness. Many valuable truths and proverbs may 
in this way be impressed upon the mind, while attention 
is more directly given to orthography. The following 
may be samples : 

A good scholar will be industrious and obedient. 
If sinners entice thee, consent thou not. 
Take care of the minutes, and the hours will take care 
of themselves. 

A soft answer turneth away wrath. 

2, It will be well, often, to make all the members of a 
class feel responsible for the accurate spelling of each and 
every word. If the first member of a class misspells the 
word given to him, let the teacher proceed and give out 
the next word, without intimating whether the first was 
correctly or incorrectly spelt. If the second scholar 

17* 



198 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



METHODS PROPOSED. 



thinks the first word was not correctly spelt, he will spell 
it, instead of the one given to him ; and so on, through 
the class, each being expected to correct any error 
that may have been committed. If the first spells a 
word wrong, and no one corrects it, let all be charged 
with a failure. This method will amply compensate for 
its frequent adoption. 

I will now proceed to speak of some points in relation 
to the mode of conducting the exercise by writing. Most 
experienced teachers have, latterly, often adopted the 
plan of writing words ; but, for the benefit of others, I 
will specify one or two modes. 

Let the teacher select words from some studied exer- 
cise, either in the reading-book or spelling-book, pro- 
nounce them distinctly, alloAving time, after each word, 
for all to write it legibly. After all the words have 
been given out, each slate may be examined separately, 
and all errors noted ; or, the members of a class may ex- 
change slates, and each examine his companion's slate, — 
while the teacher spells the words correctly, — and mark 
the number wrong upon each slate. Or, instead of either 
of these, the instructor may call upon some one to spell a 
word as he has written it, and then request those who 
have written differently to signify it by raising the hand. 
Neither of these methods will consume much time, and 
either of them will be preferable to the oral method. 

It will sometimes be the case, that scholars will prove 
themselves quite expert in spelling long or difficult words, 
and yet make sad mistakes in spelling those that are 
shorter, and, apparently, much easier. To remedy this, 
it will be well, occasionally, to read, slowly, an entire 
stanza or paragraph, and require the members of a class 



SPELLING. 199 



PROPER NAMES. 



to write the same upon their slates. This course has its 
advantages. 

Again ; it is frequently the case that scholars are ex- 
ceedingly deficient in ability to spell the names of coun- 
tries, states, counties, towns, mountains, rivers, individu- 
als, &c. Any teacher, who has not exercised his pupils 
on such words, will be astonished at the number and 
nature oT the errors that will be committed by a class 
on the first trial. Let teachers who have overlooked 
words of this description, in conducting the spelling exer- 
cise, commence by requesting their pupils to write all 
the Christian names of their schoolmates, the names of 
the counties in their native state, towns in the county, 
and states in the Union. Though the result, at first, 
may be neither very satisfactory nor gratifying, the plan, 
if frequently adopted, will effect much improvement. 

It may be profitable, sometimes, to request the mem- 
bers of a class to select, from a certain number of pages 
in a book, some ten or twelve words, which may seem to 
them of most difiicult orthographical construction, which 
shall, subsequently, be given to the class as a spelling 
exercise. The prominent advantage in this plan results 
from the fact that each scholar will, in searching for a 
few words, notice the orthography of a much larger 
number, — selecting such only as appear to him peculiarly 
difficult. In this way pupils will, unconsciously as it 
were, study with interest a lesson in itself unattractive 
to them. Favorable results will attend such a course. 

If a school-room is well furnished with black-boards, 
the words or sentences for the spelling exercise may be 
written on them. In this case, it may be well to have 
the exercise occur during the last half-hour of the day. 



200 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



^ 



BLACK-BOAUD M.\Y BE TSED. 



Let the scholars be required to write the words, legibly, 
as soon as pronounced by the teacher. After all have 
•written, let the teacher examine the work, and draw a 
line over sucli words as are incorrectly written, and 
request that all errors be corrected immediately after 
school is dismissed. It is very important that pupils 
should be required to write all such exercises in a neat 
and distinct manner. 

At times it may be well to require scholars to divide 
the words into their appropriate syllables, and to desig- 
nate the accented syllable of each word ; as, an-ni-ver'- 
sa-ry, me-men'-to, la'-bor, la-bo' -ri-ous. 

Another method of conducting the exercise of spelling 
is the following; and we may add that, for more ad- 
vanced schools, it possesses some advantages over either 
of the others named. Let the teacher write, legibly, upon 
the black-board, some twenty or more difficult words, and 
allow them to remain long enough to be carefully studied 
by the school. A few minutes before the close of the 
school, let all the words be removed from the board. 
Now, let each scholar put aside his books, and provide 
himself with a narrow slip of paper. At the top of this, 
or upon one side, let him write his name, and then the 
words as dictated by the instructor. After all have 
written ,the list of words that had previously been placed 
upon the black-board, let the slips be collected, and taken 
by the teacher, who may himself, aided, perhaps, by 
some of his best spellers, examine the slips, and mark 
those wrong upon each. At some hour of the next day, 
let the teacher read the result to the whole school, stating 
the number of errors committed by the several pupils : 
after which, the papers may be returned for correction. 



SPELLING. 



201 



A SPECIMEN. 



We will suppose, for illustration, that, on some day, the 
teacher gives out the names of the months, days of the 
week, and seasons of the year ; and that the following is 
a sample of one of the papers, as returned by the teacher, 
with errors marked : 





AMOS MASON. 






Eleven Errors. 




January. 


Feberwary. * 


March. 


April. 


May. 


June. 


July. 


August. 


Septembur. * 


Octobur. * 


Novembur. * 


Decembur. * 


Sundy. * 


Monddy. * 


Tuesday. 


Wensday, * 


Thursday, 


Friday. 


Saterday. * 


Spring. 


Sumer. * 


Autum. * 


Winter. 





In conducting this exercise, let the teacher insist upon 
perfect distinctness in the writing of the words, and let 
it be understood that every letter not perfectly plain will 
be considered as wrong, and marked accordingly. It 
will be readily seen, that a little skill, on the part of the 
teacher, in the selection of words, will make this a 
highly useful and interesting exercise ; and the time for 
the announcement of the number of errors will be looked 
for with interest. 

An attractive method, which may answer for osal or 
written spelling, is the following : The instructor pro- 
nounces a word, which is to be spelt by the first in the 
class, who will immediately name another, commencing 
with the final letter of the first word, which is to be spelt 
by the next scholar ; and he, in turn, Avill name another 
word, and so on, through the class. If the words are to 
be written upon the slate, the same course may be taken, 



202 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

OTHER METHODS. 

as to naming of words. Let us take, for illustration, the 
following words : 

Commotion. Rhetoric. 

Nourishment. Circumstances. 

Theoretical. Sympathy. 

Language. Yellovf. 

Endeavor. Wandering. 

An exercise of this kind will have its peculiar advan- 
tages, the more prominent of which will be, the awaken- 
ing of thought and interest. After a little practice, the 
members of a class will be able to name words with a 
great degree of promptness ; and an exercise of this kind 
will be made highly interesting and profitable. 

Another method, and the last I shall name, is the 
following, which may prove very useful in the higher 
classes of most schools. Let the teacher pronounce to a 
class several words of difficult orthography, or short sen- 
tences containing such words, the pupils writing the 
same upon their slates, as fast as dictated. After the 
desired number of words and sentences have been written, 
the instructor may address his class as follows : " Schol- 
ars, the words and sentences which I have just pro- 
nounced may require from you some study. Examine 
them carefully, ascertain the correct spelling and mean- 
ing of, each ; and, when you have studied them suf- 
ficiently, rub them from your slates. To-morrow I shall 
give you the same exercise, and shall then expect you to 
write them accurately." 

Let us suppose that the following words and sentences 
should be given for an exercise of this kind : 

Aeronaut. Anchovy. 

Armistice. Acoustics. 



SPELLING. 203 



A USEFUL METHOD. 



Bronchitis. Beau ideal. 

Colporteur, Guillotine. 

Hemorrhage. Hemistich. 

Thomas has an excellent daguerreotype likeness of his 
mother. 

The dahlia is a beautiful flower. 

He was a successful merchant and a skilful financier. 

The glaciers of Switzerland. 

There is a beautiful jet d'eau on the common. 

There was a beautiful giraffe in the menagerie. 

His loss caused great poignancy of grief. 

It was a successful ruse de guerre. 

The police exercised strict surveillance. 

This mode is well adapted for presenting words and 
phrases whose orthography is peculiarly diflficultj and 
which occur less frequently than most words. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

PENMANSHIP. 

The acquisition of a neat, legible, and rapid style of 
writing, is highly desirable, as a mere accomplishment, 
but much more so as a useful attainment. Yet how few^ 
comparatively, are able to write in an attractive and 
plain style ! How often are the eyes caused to ache, in 
attempts to decipher illegible manuscript ! How many 
letters, in themselves 2)leasantly interesting, are perused 
with a degree of jyainfiil interest, on account of the 
effort necessaiy to make out the meaning of the various 
scrawls and hieroglyphical marks ! So great, often, is 
the illegibility of a letter or manuscript, that it is neces- 
sary to look it over repeatedly, in order to comprehend 
the contents, — the matter, at fir&t, being concealed by 
the indistinctness of the style in which it i& expressed. 
Printers are fretpently obliged to devote almost as much 
time to deciphering manuscript as they do in setting the 
same in type. AH this merely proves that penmanship 
has not been properly attended to in our schools. The 
reason why it has been so imperfectly taught has been^ 
in many in&tances, owing to the great number under 
the care of one instructor, but oftener, probably, to the 
want of true skill, ability, and system, on the part of the 
teacher. In how many schools does the writing exercise 
assume a mere formality, — regarded only because it is 
one of the required exercises of the school-room ! Hence 



PENMANSHIP. 205 



A CLEAR DISCERNjMENT. 



it is, that page after page, and book after book, are writ- 
ten, without any perceptible improvement. Indeed, in 
some schools, one might suppose that the chief aim was 
to write fast, and the chief merit to write through many 
books. 

If the teacher would have his pupils improve in pen- 
manship, he must himself feel, and cause them to feel, 
that the' exercise is a useful and important one. In 
addition to this, if he can furnish evidence, in well- 
written copies, of his own ability and skill in writing, his 
efforts to teach will prove much more successful. I will 
proceed, briefly, to give a few hints, which may prove 
valuable to the instructor : 

1. The jnipils should be made to discern the differ- 
ence between good, and poor writing. 

This is of the very first importance, and but little 
improvement can be, reasonably, expected without this. 
Let the teacher make frequent use of the black-board, in 
illustrating principles in writing. At first, some time 
may be, very properly, spent in writing letters and words 
upon the board, which will tend to illustrate degrees of 
defect or excellence. For this purpose, let the teacher 
write a particular letter or word several times. Let one 
of these be as well made as can be, and the others repre- 
sent diflferent dejzirees of mal-formation. Then let him 
call upon the pupils to point out defects, suggest improve- 
ments, &c. Let him call their particular attention to the 
importance of uniformity in the size and spacing of let- 
ters, and regularity in the sloping, and explain the dif- 
ference that should exist between the length of the looped 
letters and those not looped. Much may be done, in this 
manner, to awaken some thought on the part of the 
18 



206 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

___ __ _ . — ^ 

A FIXED TIME DESIRABLE, 

learner, and to give him some definite ideas at the very 
outset. 

2. A particular time should be appropriated to this 
exercise, daily; and, during this time, it should 
receive the earnest and undivided attention of both 
teacher and pupils. 

About three-fourths of an hour will be quite sufficient 
for this purpose, and any time, excepting the first or last 
half-hour of either half of the day, will answer for the 
exercise. During the first half-hour, the muscles of the 
pupils will be somewhat affected by the sports of the 
play-ground ; and during the last half-hour, they will, 
often, feel less energy for engaging in the exercise. The 
instructor should keep the books, — excepting during the 
period allotted for writing, — and see that the copies are 
in readiness at the proper time, so that all may commence 
without delay, and at the same time. Much depends 
upon promptness, in this, as w^ell as in all other depart- 
ments. During the continuance of the exercise, the 
teacher should constantly move among his pupils, and 
see that they sit correctly, and hold their pens prop- 
erly. He should frequently sit by a pupil, and write a 
few words, that the learner may see how he writes. If 
possible, let him cause the pupil to feel that the only 
merit in writing consists in the manner in which it is 
executed, and not in the amount. A few lines, well 9.nd 
clearly written, are much more to be commended than 
many lines, carelessly or illegibly written. Let him be 
made to feel that every letter in the copy is a little image 
sitting for its likeness, and that the chief merit of a like- 
ness consists in its resemblance to the original. If the 
letter is a, let it be made so accurately that no one can 



PENMANSHIP. 20T 



EXAMINATION OF BOOKS. 



possibly mistake it for an o or u. And so with all the 
other letters, — insist that each and every one '^ look like 
itself." Let the pupils be urged to compare every word 
and every line with the copy, with a view to discover 
defects and amend them. 

3. At the close of the writing exercise^ let the books 
he collected and placed upon the teacher' s desk^ and 
let him devote a few minutes to their examination ^ 
expressing his approval or censure^ as circumstances 
may seem to require. 

This may be done by dividing the school into classes, 
or by calling up individual pupils. As the several 
books are examined, peculiar faults or excellences should 
be pointed out, privately or publicly, as may seem most 
desirable. In alluding to defects of common occurrence, 
the black-bpard may be advantageously used. If it is 
found that any pupil has been grossly careless, he 
should be detained after school hours, and required to 
write again, with more attention. 

4. It is often the case that pupils becom,e weary of 
loriting the same copy for so many successive times ; 
and it may be owing to this, in part, at least, that the 
bottom lines on a page are often more imperfectly 
written than any upon the page. 

To remedy this, let the pupils be allowed to go through 
their books and write one-half of each page, and then 
turn back and write the remaining half In this way, 
several weeks will elapse between the times of writing 
the first and last half of each page. This plan will 
have the two-fold advantage, of showing the degree of 
improvement, and also of relieving from the monotony of 
continued repetition. 



208 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

SIMPLE DIRECTIONS. 

5. Ai or near the beginning of a term^ let each 
pupil be required to write a few lines upon a page of 
a blank book provided for the purj)Ose^ and^ at the 
end of the terin^ write as many more, directly beneath 
those previously written. 

This will furnish the most indubitable evidence of im- 
provement, or want of improvement ; and will also serve 
as a stimulus to the pupils, and make them ambitious to 
furnish proof of having wisely improved their privileges. 
To faithful teachers and pupils, such a book would afford 
much satisfaction ; and it would furnish to committees 
and visitors, in a fair and concise form, an exhibition of 
any improvement that may have been made. It would 
also place in a true position the unsuccessful teacher and 
the heedless pupils. 

The following brief suggestions and rules, in relation to 
writing, should be regarded by every teacher who would 
produce work of which he "need not feel ashamed." 

1. Require that the pupil should ''^ sit iip,^^ while 
writing. The eyes of beginners are, almost always, too 
near their paper or book. 

2. Require all turns to be made without raising the 
pen. It is a very common, but very pernicious habit, to 
raise the pen. 

3. The hair-stroke should always be made with the 
right-hand corner of the pen. 

4. Insist that the scholar insert all marks of punc- 
tuation. 

5. Insist that the pen be held properly, as in the fol- 
lowing cut : 



PENMANSHIP. 209 



DRAWING RECOMJIENDED. 




6. Only those fingers which hold the pen should move, 
in writing. 

7. The end of the pen-holder should point towards the 
shoulder. 

8. The hand should not be supported by the wrist, but 
by that part of the arm a little below the elbow. 

The teacher cannot be too careful, or too particular, in 
the observance of the suggestions that have been given. 
It is of the utmost importance that pupils commence 
right. A few hours of instruction, rightly given, at the 
outset, will save many weeks of subsequent labor, and, at 
the same time, facilitate and expedite progress in writing. 
It is much more difficult to unlearn what has been 
wrongly taught, than it is to teach aright at first. 

In many schools, children are allowed to commence 
writing with pen and ink at too early an age. If, instead 
of this, they should be allowed to draw, upon slates or 
black-boards, such simple models as may be furnished, 
it would prove far more beneficial to them. Let them be 
allowed to copy letters, in this way, as soon as they are 
old enough to attend school ; and, after the lapse of two 
or three years, during which frequent attention may be 
given to such exercises, they will be prepared to com- 
mence the regular practice of writing under circum- 
stances much more favorable. 
18* 



210 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



WELL-WRITTEN COPIES IMPORTANT. 



It is very desirable that scholars should form the ability 
to write with rapidity ; but they should, in the first place, 
be taught to write well. 

If the hints above given are properly observed, if they 
do not tend to the formation of a 'perfect style of penman- 
ship, they will certainly do much towards the improve- 
ment of writing in our schools. The formation of a cor- 
rect appreciation of the work to be accomplished, and the 
awakening of a lively interest in the same, are, in the 
highest degree, essential, and should be carefully regarded 
at the very outset. 

The teacher should studiously endeavor to furnish well- 
written copies, and such as contain good moral sentiments, 
or express some important fact, or historical event. By 
judicious attention to this, many good impressions may 
be made upon the mind, and many useful facts fixed in 
the memory, while the pupil is more directly engaged in 
learning to write. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



GEOGRAPHY. 



The methods of teaching Geography, adopted in most 
schools, are not calculated to impart much valuable 
information, or to awaken real interest in pupils. The 
memory is, often, rather taxed than disciplined; and 
the mind burdened with formal answers, rather than 
trained to take comprehensive and intelligent views of 
subjects. Names are learnt and repeated, but no well- 
defined and clear understanding of the localities and rela- 
tive positions of different countries, together wdth the 
peculiarities of each, is acquired, — so that pupils, fre- 
quently, leave schools quite as ignorant, so far as relates 
to correct geographical knowledge, as they were when 
they commenced. A visitor at a primary school asked 
a class what geography was. The answer was very 
promptly given, "Geography is a description of the 
earth." " Very well," said the questioner ; "and now, 
can you tell me what the earth is 7 " The answer from 
most was, "I don't know." "But," asked the visitor, 
"have you never seen it?" "No, sir," was the reply 
from most ; but one little girl said she had seen it, and, 
when asked where, pointed upward, to the sky. Another 
said she saw it during her last vacation, and, when asked 
where, said, " Over at my aunt's, in Pelham." And 
thus it often is, that words and definitions are committed 
to memory, without imparting clear information. 



212. COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

ERRORS IN TEACHING GEOGRAPHY. 

From an able and interesting report of the superin- 
tendent of schools for the State of Connecticut, I extract 
the following judicious and sensible remarks, in relation 
to some of the common errors in teaching Geography, 
and, also, some suggestions, which may prove of value to 
the teacher, in his attempts to impart instruction. 

"1. The indiscriminate use of Geography in schools, — 
the habit of rushing through the book or atlas, — learning 
a lesson one day, merely for recitation, and forgetting it 
the next, neither teacher nor scholar clearly perceiving 
the value of the study, — is, certainly, very objectionable. 

" 2. Studying lessons about Kamtschatka and the Fejee 
Islands, before the contents of one's native country are 
known, seems rather absurd. 

"3. Talking about seas, lakes, oceans, &c., when the 
learner deems every puddle a lake, and every brooklet a 
river, and every inland lake he ever saw an ocean, may, 
indeed, be talking Geography, but it surely is not learn- 
ing anything either useful or true. 

" 4. Describing the political divisions of Europe before 
the political divisions of one's native state are known ; 
learning the boundaries of New York ere the scholar has 
practical sense enough to describe the boundaries of the 
school-house, or the town in which he lives; — these, 
and similar upsettings of natural order, may, indeed, 
make a showy class, — may win applause from an undis- 
cerning committee, — but they, surely, do not give useful 
knowledge or discipline of mind to the learner. 

" Similar criticism may be justly passed upon many 
loose methods of teaching and reciting history. It is 
behoved, firmly, that every study that belongs properly 
to our public schools may be shown to a class as, obvi- 




GEOGRAPHY. 213 



HIXTS ON TEACHING GEOGRAPHY. 



ously, SO useful and desirable, that no further motive or 
stimulation to industry will be needed. 

" 3. Singing classes, that, in unison, can sing all the 
names of the atlas in their proper order and place, give 
very showy results, and develop remarkable readiness in 
verbal memorizing. It is certain that little geography is 
learned. 

" Leaving this always easy task of fault-finding, some 
affirmative suggestions may prove of value : 

"1. In early youth, it is always so unwise to talk 
about things whose realization in the learner's mind is, 
of necessity, imperfect, that the first labor in every study 
should be, to insure a perfect conception of the things, 
the names about to be used. Hence, Geographies always 
begin with definitions of terms. Let it be noted here, 
however, that, to early childhood, definitions are as blind 
and dark, oftentimes, as the thing defined. This holds 
true of all definitions, in every study offered to childhood. 

'•Very rarely can a definition of a term be success- 
fully addressed to the ear of the young learner. Ear- 
knowledge must be explained to the eye ; eye-knowledge 
must have its definitions addressed to the ear ; and, in 
general, it is a law of early childhood, that successful 
dejitiition or explanation must enter the mind by a 
different avenue from the one by lohich the thing 
explained seeks admission. As a scholar advances, and 
gains power of conception, and of language, of course, 
this law becomes less and less widely applicable, but it 
is never entirely forsaken. 

'^ All geographical terms, all expressions of size and 
distance, require express development by the teacher. 
The concise words of the book are always more easily 



214 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

SUGGESTIONS ON GEOGRAPHY. 

learned ; but it is claimed here, that, in such a course, 
nothing is learned but the words. The hill, the valley, 
the puddle, the brook, the bounded field, &c., are little 
geographical facts, which address the eye. These are 
available, therefore, as definitions. Maps of the school- 
room, of the yard, of the farm, of the village, should pre- 
cede maps of the world, &c. 

" 2. Relative size and distances. Here is a most diffi- 
cult subject to teach well. But it can be accomplished. 
Beginning with things known and measurable, and map- 
ping them (that is, beginning with the inkstand, next 
the desk, next the room, house, lot, field, town, county, 
state, &c.), it is easy to call the attention, intelligently, 
then, to the fact that maps of the same size are, often, 
the representatives of very various magnitudes. Finally, 
one large map of the world may then, with some hope of 
success, be used, to give some idea of the vast globe. 

" 3. The geometry of our maps — the meridians and 
parallels — may, in some progressive manner, be brought 
within the comprehension of a class. 

'•'4. Topical knowledge of boundaries, population, pro- 
ducts, &c., should begin at a centre, — the school-house, 

— and radiate, or, rather, circulate round it, in laro-er 
and larger arcs, as long as the study continues. It is 
not urged, in these hints, to throw aside the Geographies 
in use, as being useless. It is only required that the 
order of arrangement, followed by them, be thrown aside, 
and the books retained and used as we use a dictionary, 

— not to be read straight through, but to consult when 
we wish to obtain some precise information. This is the 
use which a teacher should make of all text-books in 
schools. 



GEOGRAPHY. 215 



USE OF A NEWSPAPER. 



" 5. Fifty copies of any commercial paper, all of one 
date, will be found suggestive of more interesting and 
useful geographical, arithmetical, and miscellaneous, yet 
useful questions, than any one term of study in a school 
will suffice to answer. The lad who can answer all the 
geographical questions that rise in any otie copy of a 
well-conducted commercial newspaper, like the New 
York Tribime or Boston Mercantile Journal^ is more 
truly proficient in the study, than one who can repeat a 
gazetteer word for word. The former has practical, use- 
ful knowledge ; the latter has only ' book-learning.^ 

" As well here as anywhere, it may be remarked, that 
a good newspaper is about as cheap and useful a school- 
book as can be introduced into our schools. 

"6. In connection with History, Geography becomes 
very interesting and useful. A map of every battle- 
ground, drawn on the slate or black-board, goes far to 
break up the monotony of a memorized recitation in his- 
tory. A checker-board map of Philadelphia does more 
to teach its peculiar squareness of corner than any 
amount of recitation. 

"7. To cultivate the memory alone^ in the study of 
History and Geography, is unwise. Yet it should not be 
neglected. Let a class be divided into two equal parts. 
Then let these two divisions alternate^ — one of them 
memorizing words closely, and the other reciting in their 
own language. Thus one half of the class will explahi 
for the benefit of the other ; while, if the alternation be 
observed, no injustice will be done to either half 

" 8. Map-drawing, from memory^ is invaluable. Let 
it be done on the black-board, the floor, the marble- 
ground, and even (if need there be) upon the fence. 



216 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



DEFINITIONS SHOULD BE PLAIN. 



" Finally ; when the teacher is assured that geograph- 
ical ideas are really in the mind, then, and not till then, 
is it profitable to memorize and recite definitions, which 
now stand as mere exercises in language. 

' ' Similar principles should guide the teacher in con- 
ducting recitations in History. Every town, in every 
state, has its local history ; and this local history, which 
every child may learn from its parents (at least, some 
single fact may be so learned by every child, so that the 
aggregate will form, at school, a local history), will be 
found to have very immediate connection with the his- 
tory contained in the book; and, just as soon as this 
connection becomes obvious to a class, so soon does the 
study cease to be mere memory of dry words. How and 
when the meeting-house and school-house were built ; 
how the nature and time of election, town and state, hap- 
pen to be as they are ; why some towns send more dele- 
gates, or representatives, than others, &;c. &c." 

In teaching Geography, the instructor should be as- 
sured that every definition is perfectly understood, and 
that every explanation is thoroughly comprehended. It 
is, not unfrequently, the case, that pupils will be able to 
repeat the words of the book with great fluency, and yet 
have no clear and unequivocal knowledge of the subject 
under consideration. This learning of words, without 
acquiring definite ideas, is but little worth; it is not 
true information ; it is like wealth in the bottom of the 
ocean, — not usable, because beyond grasp. 

The teacher should strive to excite an interest in Geog- 
raphy lessons ; and, to this end, he may unite History 
with the study, and, by connecting some interesting his- 
torical facts or narratives with the geographical features 



GEOGRAPHY. 217 



AN ILLUSTRATION. 



of each country, or section, he will awaken thought and 
secure attention. If possible, let him relate some simple 
fact or truthful incident in connection with the passing 
exercise, and he will thus succeed in making vivid and 
lasting impressions. On this point, Wm. B. Fowle gives 
the following illustration, in his interesting and useful 
volume, " The Teacher's Institute : " 

" If you wished to impress the geographical outline of 
the Spanish peninsula upon the pupil's mind, would you 
tell him of Ferdinand and Isabella ; of the repulse of the 
Saracen invaders, and the invasion of Mexico ; of the 
enfranchisement of Spain, and the establishment of the 
Inquisition ; of the slaughter of infidel Moors, and the 
more modern butchery of Christian hosts 7 You might 
do all this, without giving the pupil any idea of the 
geography of Spain. But, if you should show the 
pupil a Spanish dollar, and call his attention to the 
shield, whose form is exactly that of the peninsula ; to 
the castle and the lion — Castile and Leon, whose union 
freed Spain from the Saracens ; to the two pillars, em- 
blems of the pillars of Hercules, Gibraltar and Ceuta ; 
to the motto that entwines them — We flus ultra'' — 
'There is nothing beyond,' and then explain to him 
this limit of ancient geography, which Spain herself was 
the first to pass, — my word for it, you would not only 
give some definite ideas of the geography of Spain, but 
you would give an interest, that never existed- before, to 
Spanish dollars." 

Allusion has been made to map-drawing. It would 
be difficult to over-estimate the importance of this exer- 
cise. It will tend to interest the learner, and, at the 
same time, impart instruction more definitely and perma- 
19 



218 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



MAP-DRAWING. 



nently than can be given in any other manner. If a 
pupil spends time in drawing a map of the United 
States, he will fix in his mind the location of the several 
states, mountains, rivers, lakes, cities, capes, &c. &c., 
more clearly and surely than by any other method. In 
drawing maps, the first step should be to mark ofi* the 
meridians and parallels. These will serve as guide-lines 
for locating the different sections. After a little careful 
practice, pupils will be able to go to the black-board and 
draw an outline map of a state or country with a degree 
of readiness, accuracy, and neatness, which will greatly 
surprise and delight one who has never before witnessed 
such an exercise. In the study of Geography, it will be 
found most interesting and profitable to commence w^ith 
those sections nearest " home," and gain a well-defined 
understanding of them before proceeding to countries and 
sections which are more remote. 

Within a few years, most permanent schools have been 
furnished with outline maps. These may be advan- 
tageously used, or they may be used with but little ben- 
efit. If possible, pupils should be so thoroughly taught, 
that they will be able to go to any map, and point out the 
different countries, states, cities, mountains, lakes, rivers, 
&c., and, at the same time, give such particulars in rela- 
tion to each as may be important. If a country is spoken 
of, let something be said of its productions, climate, gov- 
ernment, &c. &c. If the subject relates to rivers, let 
their size, condition, &c., be topics for consideration and 
description. In fine, let all geographical lessons be con- 
ducted Avith a special reference to imparting a clear and 
practical knowledge of the whole subject, so far as relates 
to it in a topographical, physical, and historical sense. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

ENGLISH GRAMMAR. 

The ^udy of Grammar is often spoken of as dry and 
uninteresting. As it is attended to in many schools, it 
certainly is so ; but, rightly taught, it may be made 
highly interesting and useful. Before proceeding to give 
a few hints, in reference to teaching this branch, I will, 
briefly, allude to two or three of the causes which have 
tended to render it unattractive and unprofitable. 

In the first place, pupils have been allowed to com- 
mence learning from a text-book at too early an age. 
There is, with the young, a very common and strong 
feeling, that there is something exceedingly great and 
charming in the study of English grammar ; and they 
are frequently indulged in their earnest desire to join the 
grammar class when quite young. The consequence is, 
that the reality falls so far below the ideal they had 
formed, that they sink into a condition of dislike, or 
apathy, from which it will ever after be exceedingly dif- 
ficult to raise them. 

Another reason why the study has been uninviting 
and useless, has been the fact that pupils have been 
allowed to repeat words without gaining ideas. Many a 
pupil has been able to repeat the words of a grammar, 
from beginning to end, without obtaining any definite 
understanding of the various subjects treated of How 
many, for instance, will promptly define the various parts 



220 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

HORSE-HAIR JUSTICE. 

of speech, without having any clear comprehension of the 



same 



Says S. G. Goodrich, ''I once knew a boy, in the 
olden time of Webster's Grammar, who found this defini- 
tion in his book : ' A noun is the name of a thing ; as, 
horse, hair, justice.' But he chanced to misconceive it, 
and read it thus : 'A man is the name of a thing ; as, horse- 
hair justice.' He was of a reflective turn ; and long he 
pondered over the wonderful mysteries of a noun. But 
in vain ; he could not make it out. It so happened that 
his father was a justice of the peace ; and, one day, when 
the boy went h(^e, the old gentleman was holding a jus- 
tice's court. There he sat, in state, among a crowd of 
people, on an old-fashioned, horse-hair settee. A new 
light suddenly broke in upon our young hero's mind. 
'My father,' said he, mentally, 'is a horse-hair justice, 
and, therefore, a noun ! ' " 

In speaking of the early age at which the young com- 
mence the study of grammar, W. B. Fowle says : " The 
words of some manual are said or sung for a given time, 
until the child arrives at that 7ie plus ultra of philology, 
— a substantive or noun is the name of anything that 
exists or of which we have any notion, as ' man-virtue- 
London ; ' and then, if the child is at a loss to know 
exactly what sort of notion ' man-virtue- London ' is, 
he will not fail to learn what it is ' to be, to do, and to 
suffer.^ " 

Another objection to the study of grammar has been, 
that an attempt has been made to advance too rapidly, 
so that many subjects have been before the mind at once, 
so confusing it as to prevent the gaining of a well-defined 
idea in relation to any one. 



ENGLISH GRAMMAR, 221 

HINTS ON TEACHING GRAMMAR. 

The definitions of all the parts of speech have been 
recited at one time, without giving any attention to the 
correct understanding and true application of either, 
singly. ■ Under these circumstances, it would be strange 
if grammar should not prove " dry and unintei^esting ; " 
it surely must be so. 

Having alluded to some of the reasons which have 
tended to make grammar uninteresting and unintelligible, 
I will now endeavor to give a few hints in relation to 
teaching the same. I have said that pupils begin the 
study of grammar too soon, — that is, from a regular 
text-book. Children may be taught many of the princi- 
ples of grammar, in an interesting manner, without look- 
ing into a text-book on the subject. 

The several parts of speech may be considered, and 
quite young scholars may be made familiar with these, 
without the use of a book. W. H. Wells gives the fol- 
lowing valuable suggestions on this point: "The classi- 
fication of words may be introduced by referring to the 
different kinds of trees, to the different kinds of animals, 
or to any other collection of objects that admit of a reg- 
ular division into distinct classes. Thus, when we go 
into a forest, we find that the number of trees about us 
is greater than we can estimate. But we soon observe 
that a portion of them have certain striking resemblances, 
while they differ, essentially, from all the rest. We 
also observe that others, which differ materially from 
these, have similar resemblances to one another. And, 
by extending our observation, we find that this countless 
multitude of trees all belong to a very few simple classes, 
which are easily distinguished from each other. Those 
of one class we associate together, and call them oak 
19* 



222 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

ADVANCE SLOWLY AND SUBELT. 

trees ; those of another class we call pine trees ; and in 
this manner we proceed with all the different kinds. 

Just SO it is with the words of our language. Though 
their number is about eighty thousand, yet we find, on 
a careful examination, that they all belong to less than a 
dozen different classes, called parts of speech ; so that we 
have only to learn the character of these divisions, and 
we shall be able to tell the class to which any word in 
the language belongs. 

By some such introductory illustration, the curiosity 
of a class of beginners may be easily excited ; and they 
will thus be prepared to enter with eagerness upon the 
labor of learning to distinguish the different parts of 
speech. 

The teacher should lead his pupils to take an active 
part in these lessons from the beginning, — not only by 
proposing frequent questions for them to answer, but, 
also, by encouraging them to ask such questions as their 
own curiosity may suggest." 

It is very important that the several steps in grammar 
be made slowly and surely, — that every definition and 
every explanation be made perfectly intelligible. The 
pupil should, for some time, be required to give the rea- 
son for every step he takes, and tell why he thus recites. 

After a pupil has become sufficiently familiar with 
the various parts of speech, considerable time may be 
devoted to writing simple sentences, illustrative of the 
knowledge he has acquired. The pupil should be pre- 
pared to designate the several parts of speech in each 
sentence, and tell all that may be important in relation 
to the same. If he has gained a clear understanding of 
the different parts of speech, with all their variations and 



ENGLISH GRAMMAR. 223 

THE WHITING OF SENTENCES. 

modifications, he may be required to write short sentences, 
of the following description : 

1. Write a sentence with a common noun in the 
possessive case. 

2. Write a sentence containing a proper noun in the 
second person. 

3. Write a sentence containing an adjective in the 
superlative degree. 

4. Write a sentence containing an adjective in the 
positive degree. 

5. Write a sentence containing an adverb. 

6. Write a sentence containing a regular verb in the 
third person, singular number, indicative mode. 

7. Write a sentence containing a verb in the impera- 
tive mode. 

The judicious teacher may vary and extend these, 
indefinitely ; and pupils will soon take great interest in 
writing such exercises. 

After scholars have become familiar with the difierence 
between a simple and compound sentence, they may be 
required to write longer exercises. But, at the very 
outset, they should be trained to make a right use of 
capitals, and to insert all marks of punctuation. At this 
stage, it may be well to require a class to write sentences 
corresponding with the following : 

1. Write a sentence containing a regular transitive 
verb, an adverb, a common noun, and an adjective in the 
comparative degree. 

2. Write a sentence containing a relative pronoun, a 
preposition, a noun in the objective case, and a verb in 
the subjunctive mode. 

3. Write a sentence containing a proper noun, an 



224 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

ANALYSIS AND PARSING. 

interrogative pronoun, a conjunction, and a verb in the 
infinitive mode. 

By proceeding in this way, a class will make more 
sure and pleasant progress than by giving their attention 
to prepare for a verbatim recitation from a text-book. 

As soon as sufficient advancement has been made, 
much time and attention may be given to the analysis of 
different sentences, and, also, to technical parsing, — 
though the last named is of but little value, without the 
ability to comprehend the other points alluded to. 

At an early period, much attention may be very profit- 
ably devoted to the writing of sentences of a simple na- 
ture, which will prove useful, as preparatory to the more 
formidable exercises of composition and letter-writing, — 
subjects which I shall reserve for consideration in another 
chapter. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

COMPOSITION AND LETTER- WRITING. 

There are so many individuals wlio have thoughts, 
but cannot express them, — "who know, but cannot tell," 
— that it seems very desirable that pupils in our schools 
should be carefully and early trained in the practice of 
writing composition. I am aware that many teachers, 
and many pupils, regard the subject with a peculiar 
dread ; but it is, nevertheless, a subject of much import- 
ance, and may be made an interesting one. The reluc- 
tance with which this exercise is undertaken often pro- 
ceeds more from the manner in which it is treated, and 
from an injudicious selection of theme's, than from any 
inherent difficulty. 

The exercise is usually delayed till too late a period 
of the pupil's life; and then it is treated in a man- 
ner so formal and repulsive, as to create a strong 
disrelish for the whole subject. K, instead of being 
delayed till scholars are nearly ready to leave school, it 
should receive attention much earlier, and in a less formal 
and less exacting manner, the general results would be 
much more satisfactory and gratifying. Let scholars, as 
soon as they are able to use a pen or pencil, and to spell 
with a fair degree of correctness, be required to write 
short sentences on some subject of interest to them, and, 
if they are judiciously managed, they will surmount 
many of the difficulties which usually — though, in a 



226 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



SUBJECTS FOB BEGINNERS. 



great degree, imaginarily — hang around the subject, 
before thej are aware of having taken the first step. 

For illustration ; suppose a teacher should say to a 
class of young pupils, " I wish each of you to write 
something about your school-house, and tell me all you 
can about it." Or, instead of this, either of the follow- 
ing, or similar subjects, may be given to a class, .with a 
request that a description of each may be given : 

The Farmer. 

The Carpenter. 

A Walk. 

A Journey. 

A Vessel. 

A Train of Cars. 
The wise teacher will not be at a loss in the selection 
of subjects ; and, if those are selected in which the pupils 
manifest an interest, they will acquire considerable skill 
in writing, before 'the direct exercise of composition is 
named. By pursuing a course similar to this, a sure and 
gradual improvement will be secured, and the whole 
subject will be divested of all its terrors and repulsive 
points. 

It is a very common fault with scholars, that they use 
words which are, strictly, above their comprehension. 
With a sort of impression that long words add to the 
attractiveness of an article, they, very frequently, mar 
that which they so studiously aim to beautify and adorn. 
If they are early taught to use plain, simple, and familiar 
language, and to give all their descriptions in an easy 
and natural style, they will more surely succeed in be- 
coming good and interesting writers. 

The exercise of composition requires a degree of ac- 



COMPOSITION AND LETTER-WRITING. 227 



LETTER- WRITING. 



quaintance with so many particulars, that it is really 
deserving of more attention than it ordinarily receives. 
If especial attention is required in relation to spelling, 
use of capitals, punctuation, &c., the exercise may be 
made as profitable as any of those introduced into our 
schools. No pupil should feel that he is prepared to 
leave school, until he has acquired the ability to write a 
legible and intelligible composition ; and no teacher should 
feel that he has discharged his whole duty, until he has 
imparted suitable aid and instruction in reference to the 
whole subject, and done what he could to inspire those 
under his charge with a just appreciation of the import- 
ance of the same. 



LETTER- WRITIXa. 



Intimately connected with the above, and, I may say, 
a part of the same, is the practice of letter- writing. 
Every individual in the community, who occupies any 
important station, — and, indeed, every person, high or 
low, rich or poor, — may have, and probably will have, 
occasion to write letters. To do this in a neat and easy 
manner is of no trifling consequence ; and yet, every one 
who has ever looked at the letters in any post-office must 
have observed the very general want of taste and neat- 
ness in the modes of folding and superscribing letters ; 
and, if the contents should be examined, they would be 
found to correspond with the external appearance. 

Now, it should be the aim of every teacher to impart 
instruction on the subject of letter- writing. General 
directions and explanations, in reference to the commenc- 
ing and closing of a letter, the manner of folding, super- 
scribing, and sealing, may be given to a whole school, by 



228 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION. 



using the black-board ; and it will not require much of 
the teacher's time or attention to furnish all the instruc- 
tion that may be needed. 

It is to be hoped that more consideration may be 
attached to this simple but useful exercise, and that all 
pupils may possess the ability, when they cease attend- 
ing school, to write letters which shall be accurate and 
natural in their style, correct in orthography, systematic 
and proper in all their parts. A letter neatly written, 
correctly expressed, and properly folded and superscribed, 
will always prove a "letter of recommendation" to its 
writer ; while the reverse will exert an influence in no 
respect favorable or complimentary. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

ARITHMETIC. 

It is, probably, true that more time and attention are 
devoted to the study of Arithmetic, in our schools, than 
to any other branch. Perhaps its practical importance 
renders this advisable. Be this as it may, no one will 
deny the great value of a familiar and thorough knowl- 
edge of the science of numbers. To give precise and spe- 
cific directions, in relation to teaching the various princi- 
ples and rules of arithmetic, would require more space 
than can be given to it, in this connection. It will be 
my aim, simply, to offer a few suggestive hints, in refer- 
ence to the subject. 

1. I would urge the importance of careful training 
in mental arithmetic. 

It will be but the expression of a common feeling and 
opinion, prevailing among the best of teachers, to say 
that Warren Colburn did more for the science of num- 
bers, in the preparation of his " First Lessons" in mental 
arithmetic, than has been done by any other individual. 
Others have attempted to eclipse him, by improving upon 
his plan ; but we have yet to learn that any one has been 
successful in this particular. It is unquestionably true, 
that pupils, properly trained in exercises similar to those 
contained in the book alluded to, will make more intelli- 
gent and rapid progress in written arithmetic than those 
who have not had such mental discipline. 
20 



230 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

EXACTNESS IMPORTANT, 

But, in order that the greatest benefit may result from 
mental arithmetic, it must be attended to with great care 
and exactness. It is not merely essential that the correct 
answer be obtained, but, also, that the question be so 
stated, and the explanation so given by the pupil, as to 
afford the clearest evidence of a thorough understanding 
of the principle involved, and of the whole process of 
solution. To show what I mean by exactness in the 
explanation, I will take a single question, to illustrate a 
very common deviation from the true process of solution. 
This deviation may seem a trifling one, — but trifles are 
important in arithmetical operations. 

Question: Thirty-five is | of how many times 117 
The pupil says, "If thirty-five is |, one ninth will be 
^ of thirty-five, which is 7 ; and |, or a whole, will be 
seven times nine, which is 63." Now, the error here 
was, in Saying seven times nine, instead of nine times 
seven ; yet, as a departure from the true process, it 
should be rectified by any teacher who aims at perfect 
method and accuracy. 

After the pupil has advanced somewhat in the per- 
formance of mental operations, he may give attention to 
written ones, and the two may be continued together. I 
will merely say, that I think exercises in mental arith- 
metic may be profitably continued throughout a pupil's 
school course. The discipline of mind, and promptness 
in making calculations, which will result from the same, 
will amply compensate for any attention that may be 
given to them. In but very few schools, these exercises 
yet receive merited attention ; and, hence, we find many 
skilled in written performances, who are very slow in 
mental calculations. I will relate an instance, in illus- 



ARITHMETIC. 231 



ANECDOTE OF MATHEMATICIANS. 



tration of this point. " Several mathematicians once 
met to dine at a hotel. When dinner was over, the 
waiter placed in the hands of the learned chairman of the 
party the aggregate of the bill, that he might decide how 
much each should pay. Not having a pen and ink, he 
was much puzzled, and passed it to a distinguished math- 
ematician on his right hand, who found himself compelled 
to pass it to the next, and so on, till it was returned to 
the president. In this dilemma, the matter was re- 
ferred to the waiter, who, after looking at the bill for a 
few seconds, named the exact sum which was to be paid 
by each. Now, it is probable that the knowledge of 
each of these savans was to that of the waiter what a 
park of artillery is when compared with the arrow of a 
savage ; but their acquirements, like the former, could 
not readily and instantaneously be brought to bear upon 
a trivial object." 

The frequent and judicious practice in mental opera- 
tions and calculations will enable quite young pupils to 
give results with a degree of readiness and accuracy that 
will be truly surprising to those who have never before 
witnessed the experiment. 

In commencing and in pursuing written arithmetic, 
the greatest care should be used to have every step per- 
fectly understood. It is not unfrequently the case, that 
scholars, in their undue anxiety to approximate toward 
the end of the book, pass over ground so rapidly that 
they acquire but little clear and well-fixed knowledge. 
They may repeat rules, and perform questions under the 
same, but they do not gain that information which will 
enable them, readily and accurately, to apply the prin- 



232 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

TOO MUCH KEXIAJJCE ON RULES NOT WELL. 

ciples they have passed over to arithmetical operations, 
when presented disconnected from the book or rule. 

Many teachers require their pupils to repeat the rules 
of their text-book, verbatim et literatim, and will not 
admit of the slightest deviation from the same. In some 
instances, this may be well. Indeed, if the rules of the 
book are required at all, it is well to have them repeated 
with exactness; but it is often much more valuable to 
require pupils so to examine and analyze questions and 
problems, as to acquire such an understanding as will 
enable them to give a rule, or describe a process, in words 
of their own. "When this can be done, it affords the most 
indubitable evidence of a clear and definite comprehen- 
sion of principles. Scholars who have been taught to 
rely upon the text-book rules in the performance of their 
work, are very liable to feel and manifest the utmost 
ignorance, when called upon to perform calculations 
without the aid of the customary rules and formulas. 

Much time and practice should be given to the funda- 
mental rules of arithmetic. These should be most thor- 
oughly understood ; and exercises under these several 
rules should be given so frequently, and for so long a 
period, that pupils will be prepared to work with the 
utmost rapidity and accuracy. It is hardly possible to 
give too much attention to the adding of columns of fig- 
ures. It would be useful if all the older pupils in schools 
should be required to devote a few minutes, daily, to the 
addition of figures upon their slates, or upon black- 
boards. As all can be at work at the same time, from 
five to ten minutes will be sufficient for an exercise of 
this kind ; and, if teachers would devote this amount, the 
result would be most gratifying. In performing such 



ARITHMETIC. 233 



FUNDAMENTAL RULES. 



operations, let particular attention be given to making 
the figures with great distinctness, and putting them 
down in straight columns. These are quite important. 

The same method may be adopted in reference to mul- 
tiplication, division, and subtraction. By frequent and 
continued practice, in all these rules, pupils will attain 
a degree 0/ facility and promptness which will be highly 
serviceable to them, not only in relation to all subsequent 
arithmetical operations at school, but also in the business 
transactions of life. Thousands have occasion to perform 
calculations under these rules where one is called upon 
to use the higher and more advanced rules of the science 
of numbers. Yet it is, too frequently, the case, that men 
can be found who are perfectly conversant with the more 
difficult and abstruse parts of mathematics, and exceed- 
ingly deficient as regards promptness and exactness in 
relation to the fundamental rules. While the former 
may be desirable and important, they should never be 
purchased at the expense of the latter. 

In advancing, let the same course be pursued, and let 
every step and every principle be thoroughly fixed upon 
the understanding, by the performance of a large number 
of practical questions. In this connection, I would 
recommend that teachers should often propose questions 
and problems not contained in the text-book, and have 
the same partake as much of the character of business 
transactions as may be. It will be useful, also, to request 
the pupils to propose questions for solution. If I mis- 
take not, much benefit would result from this course. 
They may engage in it reluctantly, at first ; but, after a 
few trials, they will bec(3me interested. In this way, 
the attention of a whole class may be directed to the 
20* 



234 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

A SUGGESTION AND EXAMPLE. 

seeking or preparing of questions, under a particular 
rule, or involving some principle. Suppose a class has 
been performing a question like the following : " A, B, 
and C, engaged in trade ; A put in $40, B $25, and C 
$75 ; thej gained $180 ; what was the share of each? " 
After this question has received proper attention, the 
teacher may say : " Scholars, I have explained this ques- 
tion, and you think you understand it. That we may 
be sure on this point, I wish each of you to bring to me, 
to-morrow, a question of a similar kind.*' Perhaps one 
scholar may propose the following : " Amos, Charles, and 
Samuel, bought 500 marbles for 75 cents, of which Amos 
paid 30 cents, Charles 25 cents, and Samuel 20 cents ; 
how many marbles ought each to have?" I think it 
will be readily admitted, that a course like this, in 
reference to the various rules, will prove very valuable, 
in many particulars. At all events, it will counteract 
the unfavorable consequences of a sole reliance upon text- 
book questions. 

In arithmetical operations, particularly, scholars 
should be trained to rely upon their own resources. 
Many teachers help their pupils too readily ; they lift 
them over difficulties, rather than lead them to see their 
own way through them. Let scholars be made to feel 
that they can perform very complicated questions, if they 
will give their entire attention to the same, and, in most 
cases, they will find their own ability equal to the task 
required of them. Let them be taught to examine, to 
think, to compare, and, by persevering, they will soon 
acquire the power to surmount the greatest difficulties. 

It will sometimes, of course, be necessary for the 
teacher to render assistance. But, even then, it may be 



ARITHMETIC. 235 



TOO MUCH HELP INJUDICIOUS. 



better to give it in an 'indirect manner, — by asking some 
question or questions which shall lead the pupil to see 
for himself. It will seldom be desirable to perform a 
question for a pupil, or to tell him precisely hoAV to do it. 
It Avill be far preferable to encourage him to persevere 
cheerfully, imparting, perhaps, a few suggestive hints, in 
relation to -the difficulty before him. 

It is often the case, that a puj^il may be led to com- 
prehend a difficult question, by proposing another, involv- 
ing the same principles, but more simple in its terms. 
Let us suppose the following question is in a lesson, and 
that it is not readily understood: "Three men — D, E, 
and F — bought a ship for J|25.000, and sold the same 
for $30,000 ; D paid .$8000, E $6500, and F $10,500 ; 
what was each one's share of the gain?" The pupil 
goes to the teacher for assistance. Instead of rendering 
direct aid, the instructor proposes the following question : 
"Charles, David, and Alfred, bought a knife for 75 
cents, and sold it for 100 cents ; Charles paid 25 cents, 
David 15 cents, and Alfred 35 cents ; what part of the 
gain ought each to have? " The probability is, that the 
pupil would soon perform this, and, on being told that 
the same principles apply to the first, he will, without 
doubt, soon be able to perform that also. 

Let every effi)rt be made to secure a thorough under- 
standing of every subject and every principle, and, if the 
pupil leaves school before reaching the middle of the 
text-book, he will be better prepared for business than 
he would if he had, nominally, been over the whole book 
a dozen times, without gaining an accurate and well- 
defined knowledge of the several rules and principles. 

Says Prof Davies, in liis Grammar of Arithmetic : 



236 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

THOROUGH ANALYSIS IMPORTANT. 

" In explaining the science of arithmetic, great care 
should be taken that the analysis of every question, and 
the reasoning by which the principles are proved, be 
made according to the strictest rules of mathematical 
logic. Every principle should be laid down and ex- 
plained, not only with reference to its subsequent use 
and application in arithmetic, but also with reference to 
its cojinection with the entb^e mathematical science^ — 
of which arithmetic is the elementary branch." 



CHAPTER XXX. 

BOOK-KEEPING : DECLAMATION. 

There is scarcely any situation in life, in which a 
knowledge of book-keeping may not be of much service. 
Its importance and general utility are such as to demand 
for it a more prominent place in our schools than it has, 
heretofore, received. It is a branch to which the atten- 
tion of the older pupils, of both sexes, in all our schools, 
may be very profitably given; for it not unfrequently 
happens that females have occasion for a practical use of 
knowledge thus acquired. But, if this should seldom or 
never be the case, the advantages of writing out a set 
of books, merely as a disciplinary exercise, would amply 
compensate for all time and attention devoted to it. I 
am aware that book-keeping has, in many schools, re- 
ceived a nominal attention ; but, in most instances, the 
exercise has consisted in making a verbatim transfer from 
a printed formula to a blank book. The amount of avail- 
able knowledge thus acquired is, of course, very incon- 
siderable and vague. 

In explaining the various terms used in a system of 
accounts, great care should be taken to insure a clear and 
perfect understanding, on the part of the learner. It is, 
often, the case that pupils attend to book-keeping blindly, 
for the want of a thorough comprehension of the first 
principles and appropriate terms. Teachers should not 
forget, that matters which are perfectly familiar and 



238 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

TERMS SHOULD BE MADE PL.\JX. 

plain to themselves may be shrouded in mystery to the 
young pupil. ' '1(1 

A great amount of information may be imparted by an 
instructor without the aid of a regular text-book, though 
it would be preferable to use one. The nature and object 
of the day-book, leger, cash-book. &c.. should be fully 
and clearly explained, and everything in relation to each 
made as simple as possible. A little time, with the aid 
of a black-board, will enable a judicious teacher to make 
everything sufficiently plain and clear. 

In commencing, it may be best to require the pupils 
to spend a portion of time in writing exercises upon their 
slates ; and it will be well if these exercises are of such a 
nature as to interest them. Perhaps, at the outset, all 
transactions may be limited to cents in their amount, 
for, while boys, in their earnestness, often say, to their 
mates, that they will give a million of dolla?^s, if a thing 
is not so and so, the sum total of all their actual property, 
and of all their real operations, will seldom exceed. a few 
cents. 

If the terms Dr. [debtor] and Cr. [creditor] have been 
properly explained, the teacher may, for first exercises, 
give questions like the following, and require a class to 
enter the same, in correct form, upon their slates : 

If Charles Adams buys of you a knife worth 20 cents, 
and a lead-pencil worth 10 cents, how will you enter the 
charge ? 

If John Dole buys a writing-book for 12 cents, and a 
slate for 25 cents, how will you charge the same ? 

If Benjamin Hoyt buys 6 oranges for 4 cents each, a 
Testament for 20 cents, and an arithmetic for 33 cents. 



BOOK-KEEPING: DECLAMATION. 239 

IMPORTANCE OF DECLAMATION. 

and pays you 25 cents, how will you enter the transaction 
in your day-book 7 

Questions like these, and others, calculated to illustrate 
every variety of transaction which would come within 
the limits of single-entry book-keeping, may be given by 
the teacher, until the pupil has gained some idea of the 
object of keeping accounts, and of the terms used. 

The form and object of bills, notes, receipts, drafts, 
due-bills, &c. &c., should be properly explained, and 
may be so^ very readily, by using the black-board. 

DECLAMATION. 

Although the exercise of declamation has, of late, 
received more attention in schools than was formerly 
devoted to it, still, it is true that less consequence is 
attached to it than its real importance -demands. The 
advantages of frequent practice in "speaking" are so 
many and so great, that it should receive more promi- 
nence, in all our schools. If scholars, at quite an early 
age, should be trained in the rehearsal of pieces, as a 
regular school duty, it would, doubtless, tend to produce 
a degree of freedom, force, and naturalness, in reading, 
which could be obtained in no other Avay ; and, if the 
very favorable influence it exerts, in promoting distinct- 
ness and energy, in this and other branches, was the only 
benefit to be derived from its practice, it would be entitled 
to particular consideration. 

But there are other advantages resulting from the 
exercise ; and not the least in importance is that which 
comes from the habit of committing selections to memory 
— a custom much less common now than formerly, but 
none the less beneficial. 



240 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



CORRECT MANNER AND EXPRESSION. 



I am confident, that, if most of a half-day, every fort- 
night, should be devoted, in all our schools, to the re- 
hearsal of dialogues and "speaking pieces," the result 
would prove gratifying and profitable ; that is, if proper 
instruction as to manner, tone, &c., is given by the 
teacher. Great and constant efibrt should be made, to 
secure a correct understanding of every piece to be 
spoken, so that a pupil shall be made to feel and act in a 
suitable and appropriate manner. At the very outset, 
and ever after, let care be taken to eradicate every faulty 
tone of voice, and every manifestation of awkwardness 
in manner, and indistinctness of utterance. 

Every individual who possesses the ability to speak, in 
public, with a good degree of force, ease, and propriety, 
will be able to exert an influence much more potent than 
he would if not • accustomed to express his views and 
opinions in the presence of others. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

SINGING. 

Within a few years much attention has been devoted 
to vocal music in schools, so that, in many places, it has 
become a regular exercise. Yet the question is often 
asked, "What good results from it?" It is well, in 
respect to everything that calls for an expenditure of 
time or money, to inquire what beneficial results may be 
obtained therefrom,, as it would be both extravagant and 
foolish to spend time and money for naught, or waste 
energies on that " which satisfieth not." 

Believing, as I do, that instruction in vocal music 
may be made both interesting and useful, I will briefly 
name a few particulars, on account of which I consider 
it a desirable exercise in schools. 

1. It loill p?'ove useful as a disciplinai'y exercise. 

The principal object of education should be to disci- 
pline the mind, to train it to habits of patient thought, 
close attention, and scrutinizing investigation : in fine, to 
make it an active, thinking mind. It is not so much to 
store it with important knowledge and ti-uths, as to fit it 
properly to examine and use whatever may come before 
it. Therefore, any branch not in itself objectionable, 
that will tend to fix the thoughts, and lead to correctness 
and preciseness of action, may be pursued with advan- 
tage ; and, if I mistake not, instruction in vocal music, 
properly imparted, is admirably adapted to fix the atten- 
21 



242 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

INFLIJENCES OF SINGING. 

tion and impart wholesome mental discipline in a pleasing 
manner. 

2. The infiuence of music upon the moral feelings 
is highly salutary. 

If, as the poet says, 

** Music has charms to soothe the savage breast," 

it will certainly require no poetic imagination to show 
that it has a soothing and refining influence over the 
feelings and passions of heedless boys in Christian 
lands. No one, who has witnessed a school when 
engaged in singing some pleasant moral song, can have 
failed to observe its salutary and subduing effects. No 
angry look or morose feeling can exist at such a time. 

3. Singing will tend to promote good order in 
school^ and increase the happiness of the pupils. 

In every school there will be more or less of monotony. 
An occasional song will do much to relieve the tedious- 
ness often attendant upon the regular routine of school 
duties. When a school becomes restless, listless, or dull, 
nothing will so readily and eifectually restore a good 
feeling, and produce '' sweet union," as the devotion of 
a fcAV minutes to music. This will dispel every unhappy 
feeling, cheer every heart, and light, with joyful expres- 
sion, every countenance. I would, therefore, consider 
it extremely desirable to have attention given to vocal 
music in schools, if for no other reason, because it would 
increase the attractions of the school, and add to the 
happiness of the pupils. 

4. Attention given to vocal music^ in schools, will 
tend to prevent the indulgence of those idle, foolish, 



SINGING. 243 

THE YOUXG DELIGHT IN MUSIC. 

ayid sinful songs ^ xohich are so common and so bane- 
ful in most commu?iities. 

In every city and village, there are many, whose 
highest enjoyment appears to consist in singing, or listen- 
ing to, vulgar and immoral songs. A most deleterious 
influence proceeds from such practices, and by them, un- 
questionably, many a mind has been hopelessly debased. 
The power of music is great and universal, jMusic of 
some kinds all will have, and how important is it that 
the young be trained to sing cheerful and happy moral 
songs ! Who has not witnessed the eagerness and 
interest with which children will follow the miserable 
and vagabond singers and musicians, that often appear 
in our streets 7 Who, that has any regard for what is 
good and lovely, has not been pained at beholding a 
crowd of youthful and susceptible minds gathered 
around some noisy person in the street, and listening, 
with apparent delight, to his bawdy and pestiferous 
songs, all destitute of real music though they be I 

'' The introduction of music into some of our schools, 
as a distinct branch of instruction, I consider highly 
beneficial. To say nothing of the facility with which it 
may be taught to pupils of tender age, or the advantages 
which would follow from an increased taste for this 
acquirement in a community, it is not to be despised as 
a means of discipline. Music itself is not destitute of 
power over the moral feelings ; and, when associated 
with suitable sentiments, and sung by the ' many-voiced 
throng of a busy school,' I have never known it fail of 
producing good results. It may be pursued without 
detriment to progress in other branches, as, when judi- 
ciously managed, it fills up those portions of time which 



244 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

. THE SONGS OF A PEOPLE. 

would be otherwise lost in idleness. It serves as a 
pleasant recreation, after the closer duties of the school, 
and, seasonably introduced, often serves as a ' safety- 
valve^'' through which a love of vociferation and activity, 
that would otherwise find an escapement in whispering 
and bustling, is allowed to pass off in a more harmless 
and more pleasing way. For these, and many other 
reasons, I consider the introduction of music into our 
public schools a decided improvement." =* 

Well was he acquainted with human nature, and the 
springs of action, who said, ''Let me make the sotigs 
of a people, and I care not who make their lavps.^^ I 
would, then, urge the introduction of vocal music into 
our schools, that the minds of the young may be well 
stored with appropriate songs, whose moral influences 
will purify and elevate the feelings ; and that our youth 
'may make melody in their hearts' to God, their 
Creator; and that they may be preserved from the 
debasing and soul-destroying influences of those baser 
songs, which possess no true melody, and whose effects 
are 'evil, and only evil, and that continually.' 

" The tranquillizing, refining influence of vocal music 
has too long been known and practised, to need recom- 
mending. In no place does the cheerful song fall more 
gratefully upon the ear, than in commencing or closing 
the duties of the day, or occasionally breaking out in the 
midst of the busy scenes of the school-room." 

* D. P. Page. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

In every school some portion of time should be 
devoted to exercises in relation to topics not definitely 
presented in the text-books. To explain my meaning, 
I will suggest a few lessons of this description. In 
most schools, pupils are able to answer the common 
questions in relation to the common abbreviations, and 
yet but few, comparatively, can properly apply these. 
In order that their true use may be understood, it will 
be well to give exercises like the following : 

" Write sentences, and make a right use of inst.^ ult.^ 
Gov.^ Esq. J A. M., Ho?i.^^ On the first trial, it will, 
very probably, be found that there is, in many instances, 
an utter ignorance of the proper use of these abbreviated 
characters. Perhaps sentences like the following may 
be written : 

' ' Come to me this i7is£. 

It was the ult. month. 

He was Gov. of the state. 

The man was Esq., &c." 

Such exercises will show to the teacher the deficien- 
cies, and will afibrd him an opportunity to explain the 
correct use and application of these characters. 

Another general exercise may be in relation to a 
" Review of the market," as it may be found in the 
newspapers. For example, the following occurs : 
21=^ 



246 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

REVIEW OP MARKET. 

REVIEW OF THE BOSTON MARKET, 
For the week ending April 16, 1853. 

Ashes. — No change in previous quotations ; demand 
and receipts continue limited. 

Candles. — For Sperm the market exhibits a feeble 
demand, and prices are a shade lower ; sales Nantucket 
made, 39c. ; New Bedford, 391 (S) 40c. per lb., 6 mos. 

Questions like the following may be asked, in relation 
to the above : 

What is meant by "Review of Boston market"? 
Of what are ashes made 7 For what purposes are they 
useful? Which most valuable, coal or wood ashes? 
What is meant by "previous quotations"? What is 
meant by " demand and receipts continue limited " ? 

Of what are candles made ? What is meant by 
"sperm"? Where is Nantucket? New Bedford? 
What is meant by a "shade lower"? What by " 6 
mos. " ? 

The above will suggest the extent to which this may 
be carried, with interest and profit. 

A similar method may be pursued with the following : 

marine journal. 

PORT OF BOSTON. 

Wednesday^ April 13. 
Arrived — Ship Wm. A. Cooper, Lincoln, Cadiz, 
March 6. March 30, lat. 40° 58', Ion. 49° 30', passed 
brig Avon, Webb, from Boston for Malaga; 2d inst., 
lat. 43° 63', Ion. 53° 30', spoke ship James Wright, 30 
days from Liverpool for New York. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 247 



MARINE JOURNAL. — IMPORTS. 



In relation to this single item, the following questions 
may be raised : 

What is meant by "Marine Journal"? In what 
places, usually, are marine journals kept and pub- 
lished ? What is a ship 7 What names are applied to 
different kinds of vessels, and give some account of each. 
Where is Cadiz ? What is meant by Latitude ? Lon- 
gitude? Nearest what land was brig Avon passed? 
Where is Malaga? Liverpool? Why should the meet- 
ing of vessels be reported, more than meeting of cars or 
carriages ? 

A list of imports and exports will furnish items for 
many lessons, e. g. : 

IMPORTS. 

From Arabia. — Aloes, coffee, fi-ankincense, gum 
arabic, myrrh. 

Suggestive Questions. — Where is Arabia? What 
is its capital, government, &c. ? How would you go from 
New York to Arabia? For what are aloes useful? 
What can you tell about aloes ? For what is coffee used ? 
Is it a mineral or vegetable production ? &c. &c. 

It will readily be seen, by the above, that any commer- 
cial newspaper will furnish an abundance of material for 
miscellaneous exercises in the school-room ; and the 
practical value of instruction on these points must be 
apparent to all. It will be found that pupils will be 
much interested in receiving information in relation to 
such items as have been given in this chapter. 



248 co:.i?>ioN school education. 



THE FARMER. THE CARPENTER. 



The active and devoted teacher will ever aim to intro- 
duce valuable miscellaneous exercises, which will, at once, 
tend to instruct, interest, and arouse the minds of his 
pupils. There will be no necessity for great labor in 
searching for material for such lessons. The topics, 
already alluded to, may be, almost indefinitely, extended. 
The following may serve as additronal suggestions, on the 
point under consideration : 

The Farmer. — How is the farmer employed ? 
Name some of the kinds of work which he performs, and 
tell, as nearly as you can, how each is performed. 
What are some of the tools or implements used by a 
farmer ? For what is the plough used ? The harrow 7 
The spade? The rake 7 The scythe? The roller? &.c. 

The Carpenter. — What is a carpenter? What 
tools does he use ? For what is the saw used ? The 
adze ? The auger ? The square ? The compass ? The 
level ? The chisel ? &c. 

The various trees and plants of any section may afford 
useful lessons for awakening thought and inquiry. For 
illustration ; suppose an instructor should say, ' ' Schol- 
ars, I wish each of you to come prepared, to-morrow, to 
write upon your slates the names of the different trees to 
' be found in this town, and to give some account of each, 
and tell its uses. Also, be able to tell what is meant by 
ornamental, forest, shade, fruit trees," &c. &c. 

A similar course may be pursued in reference to 
plants, shrubbery, vegetables, &c. Various manufac- 
tured articles will, also, furnish material for a great num- 
ber and variety of useful exercises, and may be made 
instrumental in awakening a true spirit of inquiry and 
investigation on the part of pupils. The true importance 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



249 



RECORDS AND FORMULAS. 



of miscellaneous exercises in schools lias not yet been 
properly considered. If they should furnish no useful 
information on the topics proposed, they would still pos- 
sess great value, by inducing pupils to think and exam- 
ine ; and, with the additional advantage of imparting 
useful, practical information, their worth is greatly en- 
hanced. 

RECORD OP DEPORTMENT AND RECITATIONS. 

The favorable influences resulting from the keeping of 
a daily account, or record of deportment and lessons, ren- 
der such a record desirable. It will readily be seen, that, 
if the teacher keeps a book, in which he makes, daily, an 
entry, against the name of each scholar, of the character 
of his recitations and conduct, the effect will be salutary, 
especially if it is understood that this record is always 
open to the inspection of the committee and visitors. 
Perhaps no precise model can be given which will answer 
for all schools ; but something like the following may be 
of suggestive value : 

RECORD OP DEPOUTMENT. 



Names. 


Mo. 


Tu. 


W. 


Th. 


Fr. 


Sat. 


Mo. 


Tu. 


W. 


Th. 


Fr. 


Sat. 


Anna Weston, 


3 


3 


2 


3 


3 


2 


1 


3 


2 


3 


3 


3 


Hannah F. Osborne, 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


2 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


D. P. Northend, 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


1 


3 


3 


3 


Arthur Poole, 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


George H. Clark, 


3 


2 


3 


3 


3 


1 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


Maria Putnam, 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


Mary Wheeler, 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


3 


8 


1 


3 


3 


Benj. E. Hovt. 


3 


3 


3 


2 





3 


3 


3 


3 


2 


1 


3 


Elizabeth Wells, 


3 


1 


2 


3 


1 


3 


3 


3 


3 


2 


3 


3 



In the above, 3 indicates correct deportment, and 2, 
1, and 0, different degrees of deviations from the same. 
It may be considered preferable to take a higher number. 



250 



COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



FORM OF REPORT. 



as indicative of excellence. If 5 should be used, as the 
maximum, it would allow more degrees of deviation. 

A similar record may be kept of recitations, absences, 
and tardinesses. Of course, each teacher must adapt 
such a record to his own wants, and to the peculiar cir- 
cumstances of his school. If such records are properly 
kept and preserved, they will not only be subjects of 
special present interest, but will, hereafter, be examined 
with much interest. 

It will also be found useful, if a monthly report is sent 
to parents. This will require some time and care, on the 
part of the teacher ; but will prove of sufficient utility 
to compensate for the same. The following is a very 
convenient form : 



REPORT TO PARENTS. 



EPES SCHOOL, SALEM. 

Whole number of scholars, 75. Number not absent once during the term, 28. Num- 
ber not tardy once, 60. 

Monthly Report of Chas. A. Northknd. 



1853. 


o 

4 "1 


Present, 

No. 

of half-Jays. 


o 


o 


DEPORTMENT. 


RECITATIO.SS. 


Jan. 


40 1 


39 


1 





Very good. 


Satisfactory. 


Feb. 


38 


38 








Excellent. 


Uniformly good. 


Mar. 


37 1 


37 








Correct. 


Seldom fails. 



O" Every pupil who is not present at the precise time of opening the school is 
marked late. As much of the regular school time is taken up in illustration, explan- 
ation, and blackboard exercises, lessons are assigned for study at home ; and 
parents are earnestly desired to see that they are seasonably and faithfully attended 
to. Among the prominent regulations of the school which the pupils are required to 
observe, are, punctuality, promptness, industry, neatness, good humor, respect for 
the rights and feelings of others, purity of language, and a strict regard to truth. 
Parents and others interested in the cause of education are always welcome visitors. 

— Committee. Teacher. 



PART II. 
THE PARENT 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

As we look abroad, and behold the multitude of chil- 
dren, who, buoyant with life and spirit, throng the busy 
streets of the cities and villages throughout our country, 
and, while witnessing their present condition, — so joyous 
and free from care, — reflect, that, when a few brief years 
shall have passed away, they will be important and busy 
actors on the stage of life, each contributing, in a greater 
or less degree, to aid in improving, extending, and per- 
petuating the civil, religious, and literary privileges 
which we now enjoy, — or sending forth, through the 
length and breadth of our land, those pernicious influ- 
ences which proceed from ignorance, insubordination, 
and idleness, — it becomes a question of momentous in- 
terest to every good citizen, and particularly to every 
parent, to ascertain how the latter shall be avoided, and 
the former secured ; or, in other words, how these chil- 
dren of the present shall be trained and influenced, that 
they will become the men of the future^ whose example 
and powers shall be made an honor and blessing to the 
world. In pondering the subject, we become convinced 
that education, in its broadest sense, thoroughly and 



252 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

WHAT EDUCATION IS. 

generally furnished, must do the work, or it will not be 
done. 

Education, as a whole, is as a mighty and powerful 
stream, rushing on to that shoreless and fathomless ocean 
— Eternity. The family, the infant and primary school, 
.the common school, the academy, the college and higher 
seminary, the social circle, the pulpit, the public meet- 
ing, and the press, are, each and all, but tributary 
streams, whose waters will all unite, and exert an influ- 
ence, salutary or otherwise, upon the main channel. 
Each of these tributaries, like the little rill on its way to 
mingle with the rushing torrent, may be easily managed, 
and readily guided, if seasonably and properly attended 
to ; but, when their neglected or perverted powers have 
contributed to augment the main body, it will require 
the combined and long-continued efforts of the best and 
most efficient to prevent the general, if not the universal, 
contamination of the stream they have helped to form. 

"Education does not commence \vith the alphabet. 
It begins with a mother's look ; with a father's nod of 
approbation or his sigh of reproof; with a sister's gentle 
pressure of the hand, or a brother's noble act of forbear- 
ance; with handfuls of flowers in green and daisy 
meadows; with birds' nests admired, but not touched; 
with creeping ants, and almost imperceptible emmets; 
with Immming bees and glass bee-hives ; with pleasant 
walks in shady lanes ; and with thoughts directed, in 
sweet and kindly words and tones, to nature, to beauty, 
to acts of benevolence, to deeds of virtue, and to the 
source of all good — to God himself" 

Of all the tributary sources to which allusion has been 
made, our system of public instruction justly ranks among 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 253 

PARENTS AND TEACHERS ARE CO-WORKERS. 

the most important and efficient. Our common schools, — 
scattered, as thej are, or will be, all over the surface of 
our happy country, accessible alike to the high and the 
low, the rich and the poor, — are destined, if properly 
appreciated and fostered, to produce influences which 
will prove healthful and vivifying to a gi'eat nation, in , 
all coming time. 

Having considered the office of the teacher, and spoken 
of his duties, obligations, and responsibilities, I shall 
now proceed to designate some of the duties of parents in 
relation to our common schools. I may, however, in 
passing, say, that, as the teacher stands in the place of 
parents, all that has been said, in relation to the peculiar 
qualifications of the former, may be profitably perused 
and considered by the latter. The movements and oper- 
ations of the two are so intimately connected, and, if 
I may use the expression, so run into each other, that 
a proper understanding of appropriate duties and rela- 
tions seems indispensable to the complete success of 
either party. The full, cheerful, and prompt coopera- 
tion of parents is as essential to the prosperity of a school, 
as are the dew, the rain, and the sunshine, to the growth 
of the vegetable kingdom. A school-house may be con- 
structed in the best and most approved style ; a compe- 
tent instructor may be furnished, whose ejQforts for the 
good of the school may be vigorous, Avell-timed, and 
unceasing ; children may be well supplied with books, 
and sent to school with constancy, — and yet, much will 
be wanting, to give success and vitality, if a feeling of 
cold indifference exists on the part of parents and guard- 
ians. It is, . comparatively, an easy matter to cause 
pupils to assemble within the walls of a school -room ; 
22 



254 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

THE VASTNESS OF AMERICAN EDUCATION. 

but, to excite and keep alive an active, healthful, and 
uniform interest in the exercises of the school, and inspire 
children with a true spirit for acquiring knowledge, call 
for the combined wisdom, and hearty cooperation, of 
parents and teachers. 

Some one has beautifully and truthfully said, " Child- 
hood is like a mirror, catching and reflecting images 
from all around it. An impious, profane, or improper 
thought, uttered by a parent or teacher's lip, may operate 
upon a young heart like a careless spray of water thrown 
upon polished steel, staining it with rust, which no after 
scouring can efface." In view of this, how great is the 
work intrusted to parents and teachers, and how import- 
ant that they labor together wisely and harmoniously ! 
''What happiness can men desire so great, as to have 
their children grow up in intelligence and affection, fill- 
ing their homes and the community with gladness, making 
the fireside a circle of unfading smiles, a refreshment for 
exhaustion, a refuge in reverses, a bright revelation of a 
better world?" 

And in what nobler cause can parents and teachers 
engage, than in that of the diffusion of the principles of 
learning and morality ? " American education ! How 
inspiring the mention of its name ! how vast the dimen- 
sions of its cause, — its breadth, and length, and height, 
and depth ! Its breadth of domain ! — From the forest- 
depths of New England, how has it extended the bound- 
aries of its early home ! The breadth of its influence ! — 
Too expansive to be hemmed in by ocean barriers, it has 
chartered wind and wave to bear it throughout the world, 
— making its way to Africa, overleaping the wall of 
China, and causing its presence to be felt wherever our 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 255 

c. H. wheeler's views. 

language is read or spoken, wherever our people go. 
Like the ocean, which makes its inroads upon every 
land, penetrating continents, surrounding islands, indent- 
ing coasts, sending the pulsations of its mighty wave into 
channel, gulf, and bay, and meeting and rolling back the 
rivers in their flow, — such is its breadth ! It stretches 
away into the past, and lingers among its decayed monu- 
ments, and gathers up the treasures of its wisdom. It 
penetrates the future, and sheds a cheerful radiance 
across its borders. Its height is measured by the eleva- 
tion to which it has exalted states, by the heights to 
which it has borne the individual mind. But the sum- 
mit of its influence is lost in that pure region which is 
beyond the view of men. It descends to the lowest con- 
ditions of our race. It goes down into the dim regions 
of vacancy, and sheds a gleam of intelligence upon the 
brow of hopeless idiecy itself. Multitudes of volcanic 
fires have gleamed above the surface of the sea, — but its 
mighty depths have swallowed up the fiery masses, or, 
quenching their flames, have converted them into fertile 
islands, the abodes of living men. So shall our educa- 
tion, guided thus, swallow up the irruptions of ignorance, 
and superstition, and tyranny, or convert the theatre of 
their ravages into dwellings of loveliness. Such is its 
depth ! Such are the elements, and such the dimensions, 
of the work for parents and teachers to perform, — and 
may they never weary of surveying its foundations, 
marking well its bulwarks, telling the towers thereof, 
and urging it forward to the utmost completion of its 
design ! " * 

* C. H. Wheeler 



256 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

EVERY CITIZEN SHOULD BE ACTIVE. 

In view of the vastness of our subject, how important 
is it that every good citizen should be properly awakened 
to the great interests of popular education ! How im- 
portant that every parent should rightly understand his 
duties, that he may wisely and seasonably perform them ! 
With the hope that I may be humbly instrumental of 
arousing some to a more clear view of the subject, I 
shall proceed to speak of some of the general and specific 
duties of parents in relation to schools, — duties which, 
rightly discharged, will exalt our schools, and make them 
the true nurseries of republican virtues, and sources of 
republican blessings. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE SCHOOL-HOUSE. 

So much has been said and done, in reference to this 
subject, that it might seem almost superfluous to add 
more, were it not true that buildings, appropriated to 
the use of schools, may be found in nearly every town of 
our state, whose location, external structure, and internal 
arrangements and finish, are all calculated to throw 
around the pupil's -path associations the most gloomy and 
repulsive. It might still seem superfluous, were it not 
true that there are those, in nearly every community, who 
contend that the old buildings which served for them and 
their fathers are good enough for children of the present 
day, and, consequently, oppose all change and improve- 
ment. With all suitable allowance for that powerful and 
wisely-formed feeling of our natures which leads us to a 
strong attachment to objects and localities long familiar 
to us, and submits to any change with so much reluct- 
ance, we cannot help thinking that such would modify 
their views, if they would bestow a little candid reflection 
upon the subject. Certain it is, that in other matters 
they act more wisely and considerately. In the erection 
of dwelling-houses and churches, in the building of store- 
houses and barns, in the form and making of various 
implements for the farm and the workshop, in the man- 
ufactures, in the arts, and in the modes of locomotion, 
there have been most important changes and improve- 
22* 



258 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

SCHOOL-HOUSES SHOULD BE PLEASANT. 

ments ; and why may there not be, and why should there 
not be, in relation to school-houses 7 While it becomes 
communities, no less than individuals, to study and prac- 
tise economy in relation to their affairs, a spirit of false 
economy, or of parsimony, should never lead them to cling 
to positive evils or defects. It is, unquestionably, true, 
that many a youthful mind has imbibed an unconquera- 
ble dislike, and even dread^ of school and everything 
pertaining thereto, from the unpleasantness, inconve- 
nience, and dreariness, which combined to form its first 
impressions. If this is so (and who can doubt it?), how 
desirable is it that the spot on which a school-house is 
placed be a pleasant and attractive one ! How desirable 
that the building in which the young spend their time be 
comely in its appearance, neat in its finish, commodious 
and pleasant in all its arrangements ! How desirable 
that everything in and about it be fitted to make the 
young happy and comfortable ! Above all, and beyond 
all, how desirable that the best and most ample provisions 
be made for supplying the occupants with an abundance 
of pure and fresh air ! 

But how has it been with school-houses of former days, 
and how is it with many of the present time ? An ex- 
amination would lead one to suppose that they were con- 
structed without the slightest reference to the comfort, 
convenience, or health of pupils, but, mainly, with the 
design of packing the largest number within the smallest 
space. But the most serious defect, in the construction 
of school-houses, has been, a neglect of ventilation. On 
this point, it is impossible to speak too strongly or too 
freely. Our school-houses are, often, croivded with chil- 
dren whose healthful and energetic existence depends much 



THE SCHOOL-HOUSE. 259 

IMPORTANCE OF VENTILATION. 

upon the state of the atmosphere they breathe, with no 
means provided for removing the impure air, and supplying 
its place with fresh and pure, save such apertures as the 
hand of time, or the knife of some mischievous school-bo j, 
has made. How many teachers, and how many pupils, 
have suffered, and languished, and even died, from being 
compelled to spend so much time in an impure and dead- 
ened atmosphere ! It is, undoubtedly, true, that disease 
has frequently been contracted, and the constitution irre- 
parably injured, from this source. To this, too, may be 
attributed most of the cases of headache, and those feel- 
ings of lassitude and prostration, which often characterize 
a school ; and, also, those indescribable, and otherwise 
unaccountable, cases of restlessness, and those feelings of 
petulance and sensitiveness, which are so contagious in 
their nature, and so disastrous in their efifects. In the 
language of Horace Mann : ''To put children on a short 
allowance of fresh air is as foolish as it would have been 
for Noah, during the deluge, to have put his family on a 
short allowance of water. Since Gud has poured out an 
atmosphere fifty miles deep, it is enough to make a miser 
weep to see our children stinted in breath, — and yet, we 
may add, occasion for such weeping may be found within 
the limits of nearly every town within our common- 
wealth." Let the school-house and school-grounds be 
made comfortable, pleasant, and attractive, and "going 
to school " will be considered a delightful pj^ivilege^ 
instead of a disagreeable and irksome task^ as is now too 
often the case. 

I have, thus far, spoken of the duty of parents in rela- 
tion to the school-house ; and will now add a few sugges- 
tions touching the teacher's duty. As a citizen, he will 



260 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

THE SCHOOL-HOUSE SHOULD BE KEPT FBOM ABUSE. 

share duties in common with others ; but, as a teacher, it 
becomes him rightly to understand the whole subject, 
and to do what he can to disseminate right views and 
feelings. Though he may have no specific responsibility, 
in reference to the erection of a school-house, he certainly 
has important duties, in relation to it, when constructed. 
It is clearly his duty to see that it is kept in a good con- 
dition in all particulars, and that it be carefully preserved 
from every species of defacement. He should do what he 
can to promote a correct feeling on the part of his pupils. 
He should make them feel that the school-house and all 
its appurtenances have been provided for their use^ but 
not for their abuse. He should cause them to feel deeply 
their accountability and obligations to their parents for 
furnishing them such accommodations ; and, at the same 
time, incite in them the feeling that they can in no way 
so well manifest their appreciation of what has been done 
for them, as in preserving the property, temporarily 
intrusted to them, free from every injury. 

It is quite common, in some places, to allow pupils to 
run and play about the school-room during the hours of 
intermission, and at recess. The practice is a bad one, 
and should be discountenanced entirely. The school- 
room should be regarded as sacred for the objects of 
learning, and should never be desecrated by the rude and 
boisterous merriment of the young. Let pupils be early 
and constantly impressed with the idea that the school- 
room is a place for study, and not for play ; and let them, 
if possible, be made to feel, that, when they pass its 
threshold, they must banish from their thoughts all scenes 
of sport and merriment, and, for the time, devote their 
thoughts, and all their energies, to the peculiar and appro- 



i 



THE SCHOOL-HOUSE. 261 

THE SCHOOL-ROOM A PLACE FOR STUDY. 

priate duties of the place, — the acquisition of knowl- 
edge. On this point, teachers cannot be too exact ; and 
parents should cherfuUy sustain them in their efforts. 
There is no half-way ground. If pupils are ever allowed 
to play in the school-room, it will be very difficult to 
limit them; and if liberty is given them it will only 
make it the more difficult to govern them during the 
hours allotted to study. 



CHAPTER III. 

CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE SENT TO SCHOOL 
TOO YOUNG. 

Children are often sent to school, and, as it were, forced 
in their learning too soon. On this point, the author is 
aware that many will differ from him. Nevertheless, he 
does not hesitate to express the opinion, which he has 
long and honestly held, that most children are sent to 
school, to learn from books, at too early an age. In this, 
he would not be understood that the young can too soon 
commence the acquisition of knowledge ; but merely, that 
they should not be sent to school, as pupils, at a very ten- 
der age. A child who has but just commenced lisping 
the simplest and most common words has enough to learn, 
and enough to exercise its susceptible and opening mind, 
without being urged with dull, and, to him, unmeaning 
sounds, to repeat his A, B, C, or to pronounce his 
a-b, ab. He has but just commenced his existence, in a 
world full of novelty to him ; and, which way soever he 
may turn his eye, he will find enough to exercise his 
young mind and awaken thought, and the words and 
names which he hourly hears will prove quite sufficient 
for his memory to retain. And if within the doors of 
the parental roof he hears and sees enough to excite his 
curiosity, and exercise his thinking powers, how much 
more which is to him new, interesting, and wonderful, 
will he behold when he wanders ''out of doors" ! As 



SCHOOL-GOING AGE. 263 

WHAT A CHILD MAY LEARN. 

he gazes, with childish delight, upon the rattling carriages 
of the streets, think you that the momentary glance 
leaves no impression on his mind, or excites no thoughts 
or ideas before dormant 7 As he walks into the fields 
and gardens, and, with infant rapture, beholds the pretty 
flowers, the springing grass, the waving grain, and stately 
trees, think you that his little mind is inactive or unaf- 
fected 7 As he looks, with simple and natural wonder, 
upon the'w^ater, and, perhaps, sees some noble ship 
moving majestically along over ocean's rolling billows, 
has not his young mind enough whereon to feed and 
grow 7 As he beholds, with pure amazement, and, per- 
haps, terrific astonishment, a whizzing, pufiing, flying 
train of cars upon some railroad, think you that his mind 
can sufler from want of food 7 And, when he raises his 
eyes to '"heaven's blue vault," and views the golden orb 
of day, and the moon and countless stars, those "lesser 
lights " that rule the night, have we not reason to appre- 
hend danger from excess, rather than from deficiency, of 
action 7 

Who, that has taken some prattling child upon his 
knee, and undertaken to ansAver his earnest and almost 
numberless interrogatories, has not been, as it were, 
struck dumb by the artless and sincere manner in which 
his little questioner will finally ask, "Where is God, and 
Avho made IIim7 " And can a child, who is thus inter- 
ested in all these matters, and is, at last, left to think, 
to conjecture, to wonder who, what, and where the great 
First Cause is, receive any better exercise for his expand- 
ing mind 7 Ought he, until his wonder, and amazement, 
and delight, and curiosity, have, in a measure, subsided, 
or become gratified, be required to go over the dull and 



264 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

HOW TO TEACH THE ALPHABET. 

unmeaning repetition of letters and words? Certainly 
not. Let him be aided to understand all that he sees 
with inquiring interest, — let him be assisted to compre- 
hend, in some degree, the meaning and use of the lan- 
guage he daily hears, — let an attempt be made to solve 
all his queries and wonders ; and when he has, in some 
measure, become able to understand these affairs of 
e very-day occurrence, he may be prepared to acquire 
knowledge from letters and books. 

But at what age ought children to commence their 
school course? Probably never before the age of five 
years, — seldom before six. It is true, that, at an earlier 
age, they may, by the aid of their parents, learn all the 
letters of the alphabet, as a mere pastime. Parents 
may, for instance, take a slate, and make the letter A, 
and then assist the little ones in copying it, and learning 
its name, &c. Thus the entire alphabet may be taught, 
as a pleasant exercise. The alphabet should always be 
taught in this manner, whether by parents or teachers. 
In the usual way, it is not uncommon to meet with chil- 
dren who can repeat every letter of the alphabet in regu- 
lar order, and yet be unable to recognize a letter, taken 
separately. They learn them by rote^ and not by having 
a correct and clear impression of the looks and shape of 
each letter made upon the mind. They cannot even 
equal the lad who, being asked what a certain letter was, 
answered that "he knew him very well by sight, but 
could not think of his name." The children alluded 
to know the names, but not the looks of the individual 
owners. But, let every letter be made as I have pro- 
posed, and the looks and names will become so thor- 
oughly fixed in the mind, that the child will never be at 



SCHOOL-GOING AGE. 265 

ERROR IN TEACHING. — ANECDOTE. 

a loss in naming every individual member of the alpha- 
bet, whenever and wherever he may meet with it. If 
children are sent to school to learn their letters, the 
teacher may use the black-board to great advantage, and 
the time usually spent with a single child would suffice 
for instructing a dozen or more. Let the instructor 
make upon the board the letter A, tell its name, and 
request the "little ones" to copy it upon the board or 
. upon their slates, often requiring them to give its name ; 
and, when fully fixed in their minds, let the next letter 
be taken in the same manner, and so on, to the end. 
Children will thus learn the alphabet more readily, more 
surely, and more pleasantly. 

It is sometimes the case, that children are taught easy 
words from books containing picture representations. 
Such ones may manifest a remarkable degree of accuracy 
in some cases ; but it Avill sometimes happen that a child 
will — leaning on the picture — say, C-a-t, kitten ; 
R-a-t, mouse. A father once attempted to cover the 
picture of a cow while he asked his little son to spell and 
pronounce the name printed under it, which he did cor- 
rectly. ''How do you know," said the father, "that 
c-o-w spells cow 7 " " Because," said the child, " I can 
see her horns." Such "helps to read" are, often, worse 
than valueless. They may make "kitten" of " cat," 
" mouse " of " rat," " puppy " of " dog," or " cow " of 
"ox." 

I have frequently noticed, that those children who 
were the most forward at the age of five or six years, 
were comparatively backward at the age of twelve years. 
Having been pressed onward when quite young, they 
became weary of learning and repeating unintelligible 
28 



266 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

THE YOUNG SHOULD HAVE AN OBJECT IN VIEW. 

lessons before their expanding minds were capable of com- 
prehending fully what they met with in their daily exer- 
cises. They learned to read before they were able to 
understand the object of reading, or the meaning of the 
words they uttered. They had been incited on by flat- 
tery and the novelty of the exercise ; and, as soon as 
these lost their effect, — as they soon did, — they fell into 
a state of apathy, or positive dislike towards all school 
exercises, which it would be no easy task to change. 

But, let a child's mind be well exercised, by explain- 
ing to him the meaning and use of everything he sees 
around him ; — let his curiosity to know be encouraged, 
— and he will soon be anxious to read, that he may, from 
the books he sees, obtain new information and new dehght. 
Instead of regarding the repetition of his early lessons as 
dull and useless, he will look upon them with much 
interest, and consider them as keys which will unlock 
for him treasures of untold value and beauty : in other 
words, he will commence learning with a definite and 
reasonable object in view. 

But, it may be said, the law provides for the admis.- 
sion, to our schools, of children at the age of four years, 
and parents are quite ready to comply with this legal 
indulgence, — more so than with some others. This is 
true; and ''pity 'tis 'tis true." Until, then, something 
can be done, either to change the views of parents in 
relation to this subject, or to modify the character and 
exercises of schools for children, the teacher must meet 
the case as best he can. If the "little folks" will 
claim their right to come, the teacher must receive them 
pleasantly, treat them kindly, and do all he can to make 
them comfortable and happy during six hours daily, and, 



SCHOOL-GOING AGE. 267 

WHAT MAY BE DONE. 

possibly, something to exercise their minds and awaken 
thought. But he should not take them through the dry 
routine of school-room exercises. He should, if pos- 
sible, cause them to be furnished with slates, and give 
them such simple copies for drawing as they can readily 
make. This will interest them; and in this way the 
judicious instructor may do something to advance them 
towards the hill of science, without taking, imperfectly, 
steps which must be retraced before the first ascending 
step can be advantageously taken. 



CHAPTER IV. 

IT IS THE DUTY OF PARENTS TO PROVIDE 
COMPETENT AND EFFICIENT TEACHERS. 

Every observing mind will see that the number of 
schools kept is much larger than the number taught. 
There are, and always have been, more iiominal teach- 
ers than real ones. The inducements held out, as regards 
permanency of employment, or reward of services, are not 
such as will engage the heart, the time, and the energies, 
of men of talents and attainments of a high order. In 
no department, probably, is there so much need of ster- 
ling worth in every good qualification ; and yet, in no 
department is the premium awarded to real merit so 
paltry and inadequate. Hence, we frequently meet with 
those who are teachers from necessity, or misfortune, 
rather than from a real love foi'^ and devotion /o, the 
occupation, emanating from a just conception of the 
important and responsible nature of the duties to be per- 
formed. The profession of the teacher has, often, been 
a kind of '' city of refuge " for such as had no abiding 
employment, and who, too often, were unfit for any. The 
influence of a teacher, for the weal or woe of those 
intrusted to his care, is almost inconceivable. From his 
every action, word, and even look^ they will receive 
impressions, good or ill, which will remain as long as the 
susceptibility of the mind to retain impressions shall exist. 



EMPLOYMENT OF TEACHERS. 269 

INCOMPETENT TEACHERS. ANECDOTE. 

How solemn the thought, and yet how true, that the 
teacher's influence will extend through time, and into 
eternity ! And how melancholy the fact, that people 
often try to drive a closer bargain in the engagement of 
him to whom they commit the training of the young, 
than they do in the employment of him who is to manage 
their horses and cattle ! 

The following case may be illustrative of the point 
under consideration : Stouber, the predecessor of Ober- 
lin, and pastor of Waldbach, on his arrival in the parish^ 
desired to visit the principal school. He was, accordingly, 
conducted into a miserable cottage, where a number of 
children were crowded together, without any apparent 
occupation. He inquired for the '"master." " There he 
is," said one, as soon as silence could be obtained, point- 
ing to a withered old man, who lay on a little bed in one 
corner. " Are you the ' schoolmaster,' my good friend 7 " 
said Stouber. "Yes, sir." " And what do you teach 
the children?" "Nothing, sir." "Nothing! how is 
that?" "Because," replied the old man, "I know 
nothing myself." " Why, then, were you appointed 
schoolmaster? " " Why, sir, I had been taking care of 
the Waldbach pigs, for a great number of years ; and, 
when I got too old and infirm for that employment, they 
sent me here, to take care of the children." 

And has it not been too true, that men who were unfit 
for any business have been "pensioned off" with the 
charge of a school, while the well-qualified . teacher has 
been rejected, merely because he could not afford to labor 
for a mere pittance ? In the establishment and support 
of good Normal Schools, a great and noble work has been 
done, — a work which must tend to the elevation of the 
23* 



270 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

JOHN LAIOR ON TEACHER'S VOCATION. 

teacher's profession. But, still, unless the sentiments 
and feelings of the community shall be such as will ex- 
clude from the teacher's desk all temporary and incom- 
petent teachers, and afford a reasonable and adequate 
compensation to those whose qualifications and inclina- 
tions lead them to adopt teaching as a permanent voca- 
tion, — or, in other words, unless the well-qualified and 
professional instructor shall be well received, and well 
remunerated by the public, — the money now expended 
for the support of Normal Schools might as well be sunk 
to fathomless depths in the ocean. John Lalor, in his 
excellent prize-essay, published in London in 1839, uses 
the following truthful language, in reference to the 
instructor : 

" If there be any art, which, more than another, 
requires in those who practise it a high union of skill 
and character, that art, beyond a question, is education. 
In no department of exertion does success so absolutely 
depend on the personal qualifications of the workman. 
' As is the master, so is the school,' says the Prussian 
maxim ; a few words, saturated, as it were, with truth. 
The system is, indeed, truly important; but the main 
part of a system is, what is in the rnastei^^s Tniiid. The 
form — the external material adjuncts — of a system, 
are, of themselves, nothing ; its hving spirit — that part 
of it which has got into the thoughts and feelings of him 
who is to work it — is everything. 

" The process of education, whether at home or in 
school, is perpetually going on. The instructor may 
guide, but cannot stop it. Whether he is attentive or 
neglectful, observation is at work, intellect is developing, 
character is forming, and all under the most powerful 



EMPLOYMENT OF TEACHERS. 271 



THE teacher's POSITION AKD INFLUENCE. 

influences from him, whether for good or evil. What he 
says earnestly, and, above all, what he does, is graving 
itself on the tenacious memory of childhood. His incon- 
sistencies, partialities, ill-temper, tyranny, selfishness, 
leave lasting traces. If his dispositions are unfavorable, 
no check from without can remedy the evil. Parents 
can control him little. They are managed, through their 
prejudices, at the expense of their children. A superior 
authority, with the most perfect machinery of inspection, 
will fail to get the work of good men performed by bad 
ones. Its laws will be no restraint on him to whom their 
execution is intrusted ; its best systems fruitless, where 
they cannot insure states of mind according with their 
spirit. The government of children must be a despotism ; 
and it must have all the vices of a despotism, if we cannot 
purify the depositories of supreme power. But, if the 
instructor be one who is filled with a consciousness of his 
duties, how mighty is his influence ! He is the fountain 
of instruction, and the prime source of enjoyment, to his 
pupils. Their little difiiculties are brought to him, and 
in his solution rest. His casual remarks sink into their 
minds. His opinions on men and things make their way 
by the double force of authority and aflection. His com- 
panionship, his sympathy, are, above all things, delight- 
ful. The imitative principle, so powerful in early life, 
is incessantly in action. The children are daily assimi- 
lating parts of his nature — making it one with their own. 
What an influence is his over their future destiny ! " 

If such is the teacher's position and power, with what 
care should parents select him to whom they intrust, so 
unreservedly, their most precious interests — the train- 
ing of their children ! Nor is it, alone, important that 



272 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

THE TEACHER SHOULD BE KINDLY TREATED. 

caution should be exercised in the selection. If this 
duty is faithfully performed, it leads to another, no less 
important ; and that is, to keep a teacher in a good con- 
dition. The best of instructors may be disheartened by 
cold treatment, or discouraged by receiving inadequate 
compensation for their services. It is the duty of parents 
to treat the teacher of their children so kindly, and 
reward his services so liberally, that he will feel con- 
strained to labor cheerfully and zealously for the best 
good of those committed to his charge. 

If a mechanic has a valuable machine, he knows that 
its perfect 023eration and full force can be secured only by 
keeping it in an excellent condition. If a farmer has a 
serviceable horse, he knows that kind treatment and good 
feeding will make him still more valuable. Let not a less 
wise policy be pursued in the treatment of those to whom 
are intrusted such momentous concerns as are committed 
to teachers of youth. Let the good instructor be properly 
respected, kindly treated, and liberally compensated, and 
he will be greatly encouraged and strengthened in the 
performance of his arduous labors ; and, for all cheering 
aid which he receives, he will declare, for those who 
invest in his favor, dividends of the most satisfactory 
nature. 



CHAPTER V. 

IT IS THE DUTY OP PARENTS TO PROVIDE FOR 
A JUDICIOUS SUPERVISION OF SCHOOLS. 

A SUPERVISORY control of schools is so intimately 
connected with their very existence and usefulness, that 
it is of the utmost importance that a wise, judicious, and 
efficient mode be adopted. While a well devised and 
properly executed plan will tend greatly to elevate and 
advance the schools, a poor and inefficient one will retard 
their progress, and impair their usefulness. If it is 
important that any supervision be exercised over them, 
it is, certainly, the part of true wisdom to provide for 
the very best that can be devised. 

Of late, the friends of popular education have said 
much against the existing mode of school supervision, 
and spoken freely of its defects. But it is, often, much 
easier to see and speak of errors, than it is to cause their 
removal. To effect any change in a long-established 
institution, or course of management, is no trifling task ; 
and it is not the part of true wisdom to abandon old 
ways, though not in all respects satisfactory, unless new 
and better ones are clearly open before us. The present 
mode of school supervision has been long in vogue. It 
was devised by good and true men, and has been sus- 
tained by many of the wisest and best ; and, for the 
times and circumstances, it has accomplished a vast 



274 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

THE DEMANDS OF SCHOOLS. 

amount of good. But times and circumstances have 
materially changed. The number of schools has greatly 
increased, their continuation has been lengthened, the 
branches taught in them multiplied, and the duties 
required of school committees greatly augmented. On 
the other hand, the appropriate duties and cares of 
clergymen, and other professional men, — from whom the 
schools have been wont to receive supervisory support, 
and influence, — have become more numerous and press- 
ing, so that, while the schools actually demand much 
more at their hands, they are really unable to do as 
much for them as formerly. It is now extremely diffi- 
cult, in many places, to find men who, at once, possess the 
requisite qualifications and the needed leisure. In order 
that a man may be an efficient and useful school super- 
visor, he should not only be a man of varied knowledge, 
sound judgment, good common sense, and a candid mind ; 
but he should possess a good degree of familiarity with 
the several branches taught in the schools, and, above 
all, he should feel a deep, lively, and abiding interest in 
the cause of popular education, and have a heart of 
sympathy for both teacher and taught. He should 
also be a man who will both merit and command true 
respect, and one whose daily walk and conversation 
are of a truly exemplary nature. He should also have 
much leisure time, which he can devote to the uninter- 
rupted examination of the schools under his charge. Are 
not these views correct ? If so, let us see how the ex- 
isting state of afiairs comports therewith. 

Is the committee-man a clergyman 7 — He is, undoubt- 
edly, a most worthy man, but his school visitations are 
liable to constant interruptions by calls from the sick, 



SCHOOL SUPERVISION. 275 

WHO SUPERINTEND SCHOOLS. 

the dying, the afflicted or the marrying ones of his pas- 
toral charge; — or, if he remain, bodily, in the school- 
room, his mind may be upon some half- constructed 
sermon, or upon some parochial duty. 

Is the committee-man a physician 'I — Who can tell 
when, or where, to find him 7 On the very day that his 
attention may be most wanted in the school-room, the 
more imperative calls for emetics and cathartics, bleeding 
and blistering, or for relief to some mortal ache or ail- 
ment, may have possession of the whole man, — both 
doctor and committee. 

Is the committee-man a lawyer 7 — He will be very 
likely to attend to school duties, if no retaining fee calls 
his mind in another direction; but, as a matter of 
course, he will strive more to gain a suit at law than he 
will to suit the demands or meet the Avants of the public 
schools, — and, if he spends an hour in visiting schools, it 
will be with the constant fear that it may be at the loss 
of a client. 

Is the committee-man a farmer ? — His thoughts will 
be more intent upon the training of horses and cattle, or 
the shootings of trees, vegetables, and grains, than upon 
the training of boys, or the shootings of the young ideas 
m our schools. 

Is the committee-man a merchant ? — The rise and fall 
in the prices of goods will be far more prominent in his 
mind, and musical to his ear, than the rising and falling 
of the voices of the young, whom he may, nominally, 
superintend. — and a good bargain in prospect may blind 
his eye and close his ear to a good recitation. 

Is the committee-man a mechanic ? — He will think 
much more of the easiest and cheapest method of driving 



276 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

OBJECTIONS TO PRESENT MODE. 

nails into boards, pegs into sole-leather, or money into 
pocket, than he will of driving ideas into, or out of, boys' 
heads. Above all, and beyond all, is the committee- 
man one of those creatures who have just "nothing at 
all " to do 7 Then, he will prove the most complete " do- 
nothing" that can be found. He may talk, and bluster, 
and fret ; but his very do-nothing habits will unfit him 
for a do-something man. If, seemingly, he labors like 
the mountain, he will bring forth the most insignifi- 
cant results. He may feel that the weight of the nation 
is upon him ; but the schools will feel his weight, and all 
that he bears, really or imaginarily. Is it not, in the very 
nature of things, — must it not be so? In my allusions to 
different classes of men, I have not intended the slight- 
est disrespect. All will admit that he who would be 
truly successful in any vocation or pursuit must enter 
upon it with a devotion of heart, and energy of purpose. 
Hence, the good minister, the skilful doctor, the efficient 
lawyer, the successful merchant and mechanic, the pros- 
perous farmer, and the useless do-nothings are what they 
are, j^ecause they give their time and attention to their 
respective and peculiar callings. 

But, in addition to what I have said, the present 
mode is objectionable in that the responsibility of 
inspecting the schools is divided among several, and, 
consequently, there is not that strong individual re- 
sponsibility which is essential to give energy, fidelity, 
and success. To divide the care and oversight of our 
schools among a board of ten or twelve men, is much like 
intrusting the care of a railroad to a board of directors, 
instead of to a special superintendent. 

In order that a man should feel a deep interest in any 



SCHOOL SUPERVISION. 277 

A SPECIAL SUPERVISOR BEST. 

movement, and labor successfully for its advancement, it 
is quite important that he should feel that much of its 
degree of progress, or want of progress, depends upon 
his action and interest, or deficiency thereof. 

If the care of the schools in- a town devolves upon 
some ten or twelve men, we may see that no one will 
assume to himself a very large share of the responsibil- 
ity, while each will almost excuse himself from acting, 
under th» impression that the greater fidelity and fitness 
of his associates render his efibrts unimportant. 

Again : — The frequent change of school-committees 
is very unfiivorable to the best good of the schools. In 
many towns, the same men do not compose the board of 
school-committee for two consecutive years. Hence, 
there is a constant liability to change, in reference to the 
general regulations and management of the school ; and 
modes of government, and methods of instruction, which 
meet the hearty approval of the members of one board, 
may be entirely discarded by their successors ; and those 
teachers who have succeeded in gaining the approbation 
of the committee, one year, may, while pursuing the same 
course, receive the severe and unqualified censure of 
those in authority the next. Every one knows that famil- 
iarity with peculiar duties renders their performance 
comparatively easy. Hence, a man who has devoted one 
year to the discharge of school-committee duties is, usu- 
ally, much more competent to spend another year than 
a stranger would or could be. He has become acquainted 
with teachers and pupils, and knows how to say and do 
things in the best way^ and at the right time. Indeed, 
if he is the right kind of a man, his entire influence and 
efforts will be more efficient than a stranger's coidd be. 
24 



278 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

A NEW METHOD PROPOSED. 

And yet, comparatively, how few good men are retained 
in office for consecutive years ! They either find the 
duties too onerous, the task too thankless, or the votes, 
at the annual election, too few. But I have already 
sufficiently enlarged on this point; and, assuming the 
position that the present mode does not accomplish the 
desired amount of good, I will proceed to designate one 
which, it is believed, will be more efficient and useful. 

I. Each town shall, annually, elect a board of school- 
committee, to consist of three, five, or more members, to 
whom shall be intrusted the money raised for educational 
purposes, and also the general interests of the schools 
within the town. 

II. This board shall, as soon as may be, after its 
organization, appoint some suitable person, from its own 
number, or otherwise, as special superintendent of the 
schools, with the following specific duties : 

1. To select and contract with all teachers, and make 
such examination into their qualifications as may seem 
necessary, or as the board may direct. 

2. To visit the several schools within the town, as 
often as once each month ; and, as often as practicable, 
examine into the progress of the several classes. 

3. To hold meetings of the parents in the several 
school-districts, and address them in reference to their 
school duties and obligations. 

4. To hold occasional meetings of the teachers within 
the town, for the consideration and discussion of topics 
pertaining to their vocation. 

5. To aid in the adjustment of any difficulties, or 
misunderstandings, that may arise between parents and 



SCHOOL SUPERVISION. 279 

A PROPOSED METHOD. 

teachers ; and, generally, to promote the peace and har- 
mony of districts. 

6. To contract for, and superintend all repairs, build- 
ings, &c. ; and to provide fuel, and all other necessary 
articles for the schools. 

7. To meet the board of school-committee quarterly, 
for the purpose of making a detailed report of his doings, 
and conferring with them in relation to future plans and 
operations. 

8. To make, annually, a detailed report of his doings, 
and of the condition of the schools ; first, to the school- 
committee, and, subsequently, to the town. 



CHAPTJER VI. 

PARENTS SHOULD ENCOURAGE THE TEACHER. 

In many instances parents are too ready to leave all 
the affairs of the school in the hands of committees and 
teachers. This will not answer. Unless parents mani- 
fest a special interest in the school, and all its exercises, 
it will require more effort, on the part of the teacher and 
committee, to promote the advancement of the pupils. 
The young are very quick to discover any feeling, or 
want of feeling, on the part of their parents ; and they 
will not often deviate much from the same. If, then, 
parents would have their children manifest a judicious, 
strong, and abiding interest in all theii* school perform- 
ances, they must first themselves exhibit a lively interest 
in the same. 

From an interesting volume,* published within a few 
years, we gather the following truthful, and illustrative 
incidents : 

Locke Amsden was an earnest, faithful, and devoted 
teacher, — one who labored heartily, and wisely. He 
was engaged to instruct a school in a district noted for 
the apathy and neglect of parents, and, of course, for the 
backwardness and indifference of the children. Enthusi- 
astic and active, as he always was, he determined to 

*" Locke Amsden; or, The Schoolmaster." 12 mo., 231 pp. 
Published by B. B. Mussey & Co., Boston. A very interesting vol- 
ume, that should be read by every parent and teacher. 



PARENTS SHOULD ENCOURACE THE TEACHER. 281 

ANECDOTE OF LOCKE AM8DEN. 

strive, in every suitable way, to arouse some interest on 
the part of parents and pupils. In the school-room, he 
did what he could ; and when out, he called at the homes 
of his scholars, conversed with the parents, and affection- 
ately and earnestly invited them to visit the school, — an 
invitation always accepted verbally^ but never regarded 
practically. When his patience was nearly exhausted, he 
determined upon one more effort. Said he, "I will have 
an Exhibition, and have some exercises which will, assur- 
edly, interest parents ; and, by inviting them to come on 
a particular afternoon, they will do so, for the sake of 
seeing each other, if not for encouraging me and their 
children." 

He, accordingly, made the necessary arrangements. 
With much patient perseverance, he succeeded in en- 
listing the interest of the pupils, who worked as they 
never worked before. When the appointed day ap- 
proached, Amsden called upon the parents, and gained 
from them assurances that they would certainly attend. 
He was greatly encouraged and animated, and his pupils 
were unusually industrious and ambitious. Everything 
appeared auspicious and cheering. At length, all was 
ready, and the eventful day dawned, with as clear a 
sky, and bright a sun, as were ever seen. " Full of 
hope and encouragement, the teacher was early on his 
way to the scene of his labors, congratulating himself 
that he had, finally, succeeded in awakening the desired 
interest. On his way, however, his attention was arrested 
by numerous showy handbills, posted in every conspicu- 
ous place, announcing that, on that very afternoon, the 
far-famed Potter, a professed juggler of those times, 
would give an Exhibition, in which, as usual, he would 
24* 



282 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. ' 

THE SCHOOL EXHIBITION AND JUGGLERIES. 

display the astonishing feats of swallowing swords and 
jack-knives, hatching chickens, frying eggs in his hat, 
together with sundry like miraculous feats. 

As the school Exhibition and Potter's were to com- 
mence at about the same hour, the teacher, at first, felt a 
slight apprehension that his performances might be 
thrown into the "background; " but a moment's reflec- 
tion induced him to feel that no people of sense and 
character, and, especially, that no parents^ would think 
of putting such pitiful shows in competition with the more 
praiseworthy performances of their own children. But, 
on opening his school, his fears and doubts were greatly 
increased. He soon discovered that the heads of his 
pupils were so completely bejuggled, that they could think 
of nothing but Potter^ live chickens^ kc. At recess the 
whole conversation turned on the subject which, so evi- 
dently, engrossed their thoughts. The teacher could hear 
nothing but " Potter^ — real live chickens^ great sharp 
swords^ hayidle and all ; ' ' and, on passing around the 
room, he noticed the name of Potter written on nearly 
every slate, to which, on some, was added a representa- 
tion of a man with a half-swallowed sword ; and some 
had exhibited no inconsiderable artistic skill in drawings 
of hats full of chickens. On returning to school in the 
afternoon, he found matters worse than ever. He called 
a boy to read, who, after being shown his place, which 
he had forgotten, commenced, B-a — yes, a — k-e-r — 
Potter. ' ' What 7 ' ' said the teacher, earnestly. ' ' Potter, 
— baker, I mean, but I was thinking," — and so were all 
thinking, not of their own exercises, but of Potter, and 
of his juggleries. The afternoon passed, but no parents 
came ; and the disheartened teacher dismissed his pupils, 



PARENTS SHOULD ENCOURAGE THE TEACHER. 283 

MORE INTEREST NEEDED. 

who were not long in making their way to Potter's show, 
where their more childish and foolish parents had gone 
before them. 

And how many teachers can relate experiences equally 
disheartening ! In how many instances are the most 
trivial and unimportant matters allowed to interfere with 
the nobler and worthier objects and exercises of the 
school-roopa ! In relation to the school exercises and 
advancement of their children, how few parents exhibit 
an interest equal to that manifested in relation to other 
concerns ! What individual would intrust the construc- 
tion of an important piece of machinery to another, and 
feel no interest in watching its progress towards comple- 
tion? What farmer would think of sending his oxen to 
perform at a "cattle-show" exhibition, without designing 
to be present to witness their performances ? But, is he 
equally interested to witness the school exercises of his 
ofispring, which, in importance, as far excel those of the 
oxen, as the nature, interest, and destiny of man, are 
higher and nobler than those of the brute 7 It is no less 
true than disheartening, that the brute's performances 
often attract more attention and admiration than do those 
of the children ; and no wonder that a stranger, at a 
recent public-school examination, at which few or no 
parents made their appearance, should express his aston- 
ishment, at seeing so many fatherless and motherless 
children, — for well may they be considered as orphans, 
who are thus left to toil and struggle on, uncheered by a 
mother's smile or a father's approval. 



CHAPTER VII. 

SPECIFIC DUTIES. 

All wlio feel any degree of interest in the education 
of the young cannot fail of appreciating the beauty and 
force of the following remarks, from the pen of Horace 
Mann. In alluding to the numerous school-houses, 
which are scattered over our country, he. says : — 
'• Though not always an architectural ornament, yet 
they are a moral beauty to the land in which we dwell. 
Enter with me, for a moment, into one of these import- 
ant, though lowly mansions. Survey those thickly- 
seated benches. Before us are clustered the children 
of to-day, the men of to-morrow, the immortals of 
Eternity! What costly works of art, — what splendid 
galleries of sculpture or of painting, won by a nation's 
arms, or purchased by a nation's wealth, — are compar- 
able in value to the treasures we have in these children ? 
How many living and palpitating nerves come down from 
parents and friends, and centre in their young hearts ; 
and, as they shall advance in life, other living and palpi- 
tating nerves, which no man can number, shall go out 
from their bosoms, to twine round other hearts, and to 
feel their throbs of pleasure or of pain, of rapture or 
of agony ! How many fortunes of others shall be linked 
with their fortunes, and shall share an equal fate ! As 
yet, to the hearts of these young beings, crime has not 



SPECIFIC DUTIES. 285 



WHAT EDUCATION MAY DO. 



brought in its retinue of fears, nor disappointment its 
sorrows. Their jojs are joys, and their hopes more real 
than our realities ; and, as visions of the future burst 
upon their imagination, their eye kindles, like the young 
eagle's at the morning sunbeam. 

Grouping these children into separate circles, and 
looking forward, for but a few short years, to the fortunes 
that await them, shall we predict their destiny, in the 
terrific language of the poet ? — 

*' These, shall the fury passions tear, 
The vultures of the mind ; 
Disdainful Anger, pallid Fear, 
^ And Shame, that skulks behind. 

** Ambition this shall tempt to rise ; 
Then whirl the wretch from high, 
To bitter Scorn a sacrifice, 
And grinning Infamy. 

*' The stings of Falsehood tho^e shall try ; 
And hard Unkindness' altered eye 
That mocks the tear it forced to flow ; 
And keen Remorse, with blood defiled, 
And moody Madness, laughing wild. 
Amid severest woe ; " 

or, concentrating our whole souls into one resolve, — 
high and prophetically strong, — that our duty to these 
children shall he done^ shall we proclaim, in the blessed 
language of the Saviour, ''It is not the will of 
YOUR Father which is in Heaven that one of 
these little ones should perish"? 

With what feelings ought these considerations to fill 
the hearts of parents ; and with what untiring zeal should 
they induce them to labor to secure the wise education 



286 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

A teacher's appeal. 

of their offspring ! The united, judicious and well-timed 
efforts of parents and teachers will, with the blessing of 
God, lead the young onward and upward in wisdom's 
ways. In view of this, will not parents earnestly ask 
themselves what they can do to promote the true 
advancement of interests at once so desirable and 
important ? Every parent has weighty and responsible 
duties resting upon him ; and a wise discharge of them 
will bring a glorious and soul-cheering recompense. 

When the author of this work was engaged in teach- 
ing, he wrote the following appeal to parents, soliciting 
their cooperation in the particulars named. If parents 
will consider it as addressed to them by the instructor of 
their children, and read it with a spirit of candor, it will, 
it is hoped, prove beneficial. It was published in a 
tract form by the Hon. Henry Barnard, then Superin- 
tendent of Schools in Rhode Island, and somewhat 
extensively circulated. A few alterations and additions 
have been made. 

A teacher's appeal to the parents of his pupils. 

Respected Friends : — The intimate relation which 
subsists between us, as parents and teacher, induces me 
to address you in relation to some of our mutual duties, — 
upon the proper appreciation and due performance of 
which depend, in a great degree, the future success and 
welfare of your children. I feel that we are mutually 
engaged in a great work ; a work which demands our 
most serious consideration, and one which loudly calls 
for the exercise of our united wisdom and hearty coop- 
eration. This work is the training and disciplining the 
objects of your dearest affections, so that they may 



A teacher's appeal to parents. 287 

CONSTANT AND SEASONABLE ATTENDANCE. 

become virtuous and happy citizens, and "act well their 
parts" on the stage of life ; alike an honor to themselves, 
to you, to me, to the community, and to their Creator. 

As, therefore, we are engaged in a work at once so 
important and so interesting in its results, it seems to me 
extremely desirable that a good understanding should 
exist between us, and that we should cooperate in every 
suitable manner, and on every proper occasion. In send- 
ing your children to my school, you have placed them 
under my care, and expect them to spend many precious 
hours of their youth under my immediate instruction 
and influence. You, doubtless, expect much of me ; 
and, if you faithfully perform your duties, you have a 
right to expect much. 

I feel, I trust, to some extent, the immense responsi- 
bility of my situation, and will seek to labor " with all 
diligence" in the discharge of my arduous duties; and 
I hope I shall be enabled to answer every reasonable 
expectation on your part. But, that I may labor more 
successfully, as well as more cheerfully, will you allow 
me. in a plain, familiar manner, to call your attention to 
a few particulars in which your cordial cooperation 
is most earnestly and affectionately solicited ? I will 
endeavor, on my part, not to ask for anything which 
will not tend to the greatest advancement of your chil- 
dren, and to the promotion of their welfare. 

I. / respectfully invite you to aid me in secnring 
the constmit and seasonable attendance of your chil- 
dren. 

I have reason to believe that some parents have not 
given merited attention to these points. Bo you not 
think that children are often kept from school, or sent 



283 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



EVILS OF FREQUENT ABSENCE. 



late, without any sufficient reason ? Perhaps you have 
never fully considered the evils incident to inconstant or 
unseasonable attendance; and, if so, allow me to call 
your attention to. one or two of them, and others will 
readily suggest themselves to your minds. Let us, then, 
notice the tendency, or some of the consequences, of 
frequent absences. 

1. If children are allowed to be absent, for insufficient 
reason, they are, virtually, taught to look upon their 
school and its duties as of quite secondary importance. 
If the doing of some trifling errand, the making or 
receiving visits, or the participating in some pleasure 
excursion, is allowed to interfere with school exercises or 
obligations, your children will, most assuredly, consider 
the engrossing object, or objects, as of paramount value. 
Of course, their interest will be diminished, and their 
progress retarded, in a degree proportionate to the extent 
and frequency of the infringement upon the claims of the 
school. If you wished for a lad to assist you on your 
farm, in your shop, or counting-room, you would insist 
upon having his undivided time and attention. This 
would be requisite for his good, as well as for yours. 

If you had in your employ an apprentice, who should 
frequently absent himself, and allow unimportant engage- 
ments or amusements to absorb the time and attention 
which should be devoted to gaining a knowledge of 
his trade, you would, at once, conclude that he would 
never become a proficient in it. And will it not be the 
same in school affairs 7 Are not your children appren- 
tices in the school of knowledge, which is designed to 
prepare them for the work of life ? And have you ever 
considered that only the prompt and faithful discharge of 



A teacher's appeal to parents. 289 



AN ILLUSTRATION. 



the duties of apprenticeship can qualify them for work- 
men, that need not be ashamed of their work, when 
they shall have served out their time, and taken their 
stand with the free actors on the stage of life ? If you 
have not, let me beseech you, as you prize the good of 
your children, and wish their greatest advancement, to 
pause and reflect. 

2. If children are often absent, they will fall behind 
their classmates in their studies, and, consequently, lose 
much of their interest in them, and perhaps acquire an 
actual dislike for school, and all its exercises. Of neces- 
sity, most of the instruction, in large schools, must be 
given to whole classes, and not to indi^ddual scholars. 
Your children receive their school-knowledge in this way. 
It is very essential, for the progress of a class, and its 
individual members, that no scholar- be absent from a 
single recitation : for, frequently, the loss of a single 
lesson may affect a scholar's interest and advancement 
for a whole term. Let me take an instance to illustrate 
this. I have a class in Arithmetic, and it is often 
necessary for me to explain some principles, the clear 
understanding of wliich, by the pupil, will serve as a key 
to subsequent lessons. To-day I occupy some time in 
explaining some principles, to a class of twenty, of which 
your child is a member, but, unfortunately, an absent 
one. To-morrow he comes to school, but is unable to 
comprehend and perform the exercises of the day, on 
account of his absence the previous day. What, there- 
fore, must be done? Certainly one of two things. I 
must either devote time and strength, which belong to 
the whole school (and which the school needs), and 
repeat the explanations given in his absence, or I must 
25 



290 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

FREQUENT ABSENCE PREVENTS IMPROVEMENT. 

le^^ve him to grope along in the dark, as best he can, and, 
probably, to become disgusted with his school and its 
studies. He will not only droop himself, but will exert 
a withering and disheartening influence upon the other 
scholars. 

Our schools cannot accomplish the highest amount of 
good, unless the children are regular and constant in 
their attendance. How often is it, that scholars of good 
natural abilities are connected with a good school, month 
after month, and year after year, and yet make but little, 
if any, progress I They retain seats in school, and, when 
perfectly convenient, and consistent with other arrange- 
ments, they occupy them, — and do little else. They are 
neither prepared to enter a regular class, nor to continue 
there, if allowed to join. They feel no interest in the 
school, nor in the studies thereof; and often, by their 
habits of idleness and inattention, they become a positive 
injury to the whole school. Teachers are incompetent 
to impart any new hght to such comet-like pupils as some 
are ; — comet-like in some respects, but most unlike in 
others, — ^they appear and disappear, but when and how 
they will reappear, no mortal can predict, with the slight- 
est degree of certainty. A desirable interest and fair 
improvement cannot ,be exhibited by children, who are 
allowed to be frequently absent. If the making or 
receiving of visits, the pei'formance of some unimportant 
errand, or an engagement for some momentary pleasure 
or gratification, is allowed to trespass upon school-duties, 
children will be taught, in the most unequivocal manner, 
to look upon their school as of trifling importance. It is 
a duty the most imperative, on the part of parents, to 
train up their sons and dau,g;hters to reorard their school 



A teacher's appeal Tv3 PARENTS. 291 



THE TRUANT S COURSE. 



and its exercises, for the time being, as paramount to 
all things else. Bj being allowed to absent themselves, 
at first bj permission of parents, for some inconsiderable 
purpose, they will soon be tempted to let some favorite 
amusement draw them from the school-room, and that, 
too, without the consent or knowledge of their parents 
or guardians, — as truants. Could parents but realize 
the dangers that cluster around the truant's path, with 
what care and watchfulness would they labor to secure 
the regular attendance of their children ! How earnestly 
and perSeveringly would they endeavor to instil into 
their minds a love for school, and its wholesome regula- 
tions ! Let us, for one moment, consider the truant's 
downward course. Think of him as, for the first time, 
disgusted with lessons which his frequent absences have 
rendered him unable to comprehend or commit, with a 
trembling and faltering heart he so far stifles the voice 
of conscience, as to disobey parents and teacher, and 
spend the hours of school in idle pleasure or wanton 
mischief See him as he goes on, from step to step, 
until he totally disregards the kind monitions and advice 
of his best friends, and becomes the associate of kindred 
and more depraved spirits, and, with them, becomes an 
outcast from respectable society. He hates his school 
and his teacher : disregards, and even abuses, his parents ; 
forsakes the house of worship and the Sunday-school ; 
violates the Sabbath, and becomes a seven days' truant ! 
Is not his case a lamentable one ? But the worst and 
darkest of the picture is yet in prospect. From dis- 
obedience and truantism, he goes on to dissipation and 
crime. He disregards truth, becomes profane and dis- 
honest, and plunges into the very vortex of revelry and 



292 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



A SAD PICTURE. 



yice, — becoming the vilest of the vile, and basest of the 
base. Behold him, after the lapse of a few short years ; 
his mind corrupted and enervated, his talents prostrated, 
and his physical constitution a mere -wreck of what it 
should have been, and might have been ! His associates 
and partners in degradation have abandoned him. In 
view of his wretchedness and loneliness, he becomes the 
desperate author of some crime, which will call upon his 
ruin-devoted head the just vengeance of an outraged 
community and violated laws. His confinement as a base 
criminal recalls, in some degree, his long-lost senses, and 
arouses him to a state of consciousness and remorse. He 
reflects on the past ; thinks of his once happy home, — 
of his beloved though much-abused parents, brothers, 
sisters, and friends. He thinks, too, with bitter anguish, 
of the district school, whose slighted privileges consti- 
tuted the first step in his downward career. Then, from 
what was^ and what might have been^ he ponders the 
reality, and his future prospects. He views himself as a 
ruined^ loretched^ forsaken^ miserable outcast. His 
guilty conscience, whose voice has been so long stifled or 
unheeded, now haunts and goads him, deepening his 
misery and anguish, until, at length, in a fit of despera- 
tion, he seizes the suicidal steel, and, in a moment, it 
pierces his throbbing and aching heart, and his disem- 
bodied spirit goes unhidden to Him who gave it ! Call 
this no fancy-sketch, for it has often been made a real- 
ity by many who have been more than lost to society 
and friends. And, methinks, if you will visit yonder 
prison-house, now crowded with wretched and doomed 
victims of crime, and, as you call upon them in their 
gloomy and lonely cells, ask them where commenced 



A TEACIll<::i\s APPE.vL TO PARENTS. 293 



EVILS OF ABSENCE. 



their downward career. The answer from many would 
be, " We were truant boys^ and from that we trace 
our present condition of guilt and degradation." And, if 
such is ever the case, — and who can doubt it ? — with 
what diligence should parents watch, to counteract every 
influence which may have the least tendency to teach 
their children that their school is unimportant, and may 
be made secondary to amusements, or trifling engagements 
of any kind ! 

Some one has thus ' ' summed up ' ' the unfavorable 
results of unnecessary absence : 

1. If a boy learns to feel that he may leave his 
duties as a scholar for trivial causes, for causes equally 
trivial he will forsake his business when a man. 

2. The time of the teacher and the whole school is 
wasted, while this absence is being recorded. 

3. The teacher's time is wasted, in reading and record- 
ing the delinquent's excuse, when he returns to the 
school. 

4. He interrupts the exercises of the teacher, or some 
part of the school, in finding the places at which his 
various lessons commence. 

5. He has lost the lesson recited yesterday, and does 
not understand that portion of to-day's lesson which 
depends upon that of yesterday ; and such dependence 
usually exists. 

6. The teacher's time and patience are taxed in 
repeating to him the instructions of yesterday ; which, 
however, for want of study, he does not clearly appre- 
ciate. 

7. The rest of the class are deprived of the instruction 
of their teacher, while he is teaching the delinquent. 

25* 



294 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



UNSEASONABLE ATTENDANCE. 



8. The progress of the rest of the class is checked, 
and their ambition curbed, by waiting for the tardy 
delinquent. 

9. The pride of the class is wounded, and their 
interest in their studies abated, by the conduct of the 
absentee. 

10. The reputations both of teacher and school suffer, 
upon days of public examination, by failures, which are 
chargeable to the absence, and not to the instruction. 

11. The means generously provided for the education 
of the delinquent are wrongfully wasted. 

12. He sets a pernicious example for the rest of the 
school, and usually does some actual mischief while 
absent. 

But, leaving this point, on which I have enlarged, in 
view of its great importance, let us briefly consider one 
or two of the more prominent objections to unseasonable 
attendance. 

1. If children are allowed to be tardy in their attend- 
ance at school, they will be prone to undervalue 
punctuality in other affairs. Children should be taught 
to look upon their school as of paramount importance, 
and regard the school-room as their workshop, — the 
place of business for them ; and no concern of a second- 
ary nature should be allowed to interfere, in the least 
degree, with its appropriate exercises. It is extremely 
desirable that you impress strongly upon the minds of 
your children the fact, that whatever is worth doing at 
all should be done well, and at the proper time. Teach 
them that punctuality in the discharge of every duty is 
of the highest importance ; and, if you train them to 
observe it punctiliously in relation to their school, they 



A teacher's appeal to parents. 295 



EVILS OF TARDINESS. 



will be likely to do the same in every duty of subsequent 
life. In this way, they will form a habit of inestimable 
value. 

But I have considered the evils of unseasonable attend- 
ance only in relation to its effect upon him who 
trespasses. I will briefly allude to another objection to 
the habit, which is, 

2. That children who enter the school-room at a 
late hour interrupt the order of the school, and inter- 
fere with some passing exei^cises, in which, perhaps, 
they should have a part. Thus a whole school is often 
made to suffer from the deviation of a few. In some 
schools, much time is actually lost, on every half-day, by 
the dilatoriness of individual members. You have, 
doubtless, noticed the effect upon a congregation at 
church caused by the late entrance of persons ; and I 
will leave this point, by merely suggesting the analogy, 
between the two, to your own mind, — being convinced 
that due reflection will induce you to regard the whole 
matter in its true light, and act accordingly. 

Before closing this subject, I will call your attention 
to one more evil, similar in its effects to that we have 
just considered. I allude to the habit of leaving school 
before the regular hour of dismission. Children very 
frequently bring notes from their parents, requesting 
their dismission at an early hour; and, if all such 
requests, in some schools, should be complied with, the 
exercises of the last hour would be constantly inter- 
rupted by those who should thus leave. 

3. Encourage your children to respect and obey 
the rules and requirements of their teacher. 

This is highly necessary for their proper advancement 



296 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



THE teacher's FAMILY. 



and happiness while at school. Induce them to look 
upon their instructor as your and their friend, and to 
regard all his regulations as designed for their good. If, 
in any of my arrangements, or in the execution of my 
plans, you shall think I have erred, or that your chil- 
dren have suffered, or been neglected, you will confer a 
favor by making known to me, freely, your feelings or 
apprehensions. Come in the spirit of kindness, and I 
Avill promise to receive you kindly, and answer every 
reasonable inquiry. I may sometimes err, — it will be 
strange if I do not. Perhaps you feel that you some- 
times misjudge, or act unwisely, in the management of 
your own children. Will you consider that I am called 
upon to control and instruct the collected families of the 
neighborhood 7 

I have under my care a multitude, whose home influ- 
ences and discipline are widely different. The children 
from no two fmiilies are alike. Yet they must be united 
and governed as one large family. Some are mild, .kind 
and affectionate, — ever anxious to know, and ready to 
obey, every wish of their teacher ; while others are 
rough, uncourteous, and obstinate, — apparently most 
pleased when they are doing wrong, interrupting the 
school, and annoying their instructor. These opposite 
characters and elements actually exist, in most schools ] 
and it would be wonderful, indeed, if teachers could decide 
and act, upon every occasion, and in every emergency, 
in such a manner as to meet universal approval. I feel 
that I may sometimes do wrong. Let us remember 
that '' To err is human, — to forgive, divine ! " But so 
long as you have sufficient confidence in the school and 
its operations, to induce you to send your children, let 



A teacher's appeal to parents. 297 



OBEDIENCE AND REGARD FOR RIGHT. 



me beseech jou to teach them to regard every rule and 
requisition with conscientious strictness. In this way, 
you may do much for me and much for them. 

If you hear reports from your children (and this 
should be done with much caution), or otherwise, reflect- 
ing upon the management of the school, or treatment of 
individual members, do not too readily confide in all 
you hear. If, however, you really think there is good 
ground for such reports, call upon me, and ascertain all 
the particulars, remembering the somewhat trite sayings, 
that, " There are two sides to a question," and that. 
" Circumstances alter cases." If you pursue this course, 
in the spirit of love and kindness, you will, in most 
cases, find that great exaggerations and perversions have 
been made ; — sometimes, perhaps, intentionally, but, 
more frequently, from the misunderstanding or miscon- 
ception peculiar to childhood. 

4. Encourage your children to he orderly^ and 
studiously to regard right. 

Youth are frequently tempted, by the example of 
vicious associates, to violate the rules of good behavior, 
and spend their time in idle mischief, or vain pursuits. 
As you cannot always keep them removed from per- 
nicious influences, and depraved companions, do all in 
your power to form in them an abhorrence of all that 
is evil, and a deep regard for everything that is " lovely 
and of good report." So train them, that they may 
come in contact with vice without being contaminated ; 
nay, more than this, that their own upright conduct, and 
pure conversation, may exert a salutary influence upon 
those who manifest no love for virtuous acts. 

Improve every fit opportunity to impress upon their 



298 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 



STUDIOUS HABITS. 



minds the ruinous consequences of vice and idleness; 
and, at the same time, show them that, " Wisdom's ways 
are pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." Teach 
them to avoid trifling deviations, — to do right at all 
times and on all occasions, because it is right^ and 
because, by so doing, they will be more happy and useful. 
Teach them that it is better to " svffer wrong than to 
do wrong ;" and that the fact, that wrong has been done 
to them, is no reason why they should do wrong in 
return. Tell them that kindness will allay wrath, and 
that it is more noble and manly to return ' ' good for 
evil," than to give " reviling for reviling." Teach them 
to feel that if they would be truly wise, and great, and 
happy, they must first be truly good. 

As you meet your children at the close of the day, 
occupy a few minutes in conversing with them respect- 
ing the manner in which they have spent the day. Ask 
them to reflect, and consider if they have not done some 
works which "need to be repented of;" and direct them 
to the Author of their existence for j^ardon, and to the 
fountain of all wisdom for future guidance and support. 
Then may you hope to see them become an honor and a 
blessing to you, and to the community. 

5. Encourage your children to he studious^ by 
manifesting an interest in their lessons. 

Improve every suitable occasion to converse with them 
concerning their studies : and do all you can to convince 
them, that the more diligent and faithful they are now, 
the brighter will be their prospects for future usefulness 
and happiness. Do all in your power to inspire them 
with a love for knowledge, as a source of gratification 
and improvement. In the morning, enjoin upon them 



A teacher's appeal to parents. 299 



VISITING SCHOOLS. 



the great importance of diligence during the hours of 
school ; and at night, inquire respecting the studies of 
the day, and ascertain what new ideas have been 
acquired, what facts have been stored up, what difficul- 
ties overcome, Avhat kindly acts performed. Induce 
them to examine, to investigate, to think. In a word, — 
do all you can to cause them to feel the great advantages 
of education, and the necessity of patient application to 
obtain it. You will thus increase their interest, and 
cause them to regard with pleasure exercises that would, 
otherwise, appear dull and unimportant. 

6. Imjirove every convenient occasion^ in visiting 
the school. 

In this way, you can do much to stimulate and cheer 
your children and their teacher. I do not ask you to 
come, that you may assist in conducting the exercises of 
the school, — but come to see and to hear, and thus give 
some real evidence that you feel an interest in the sub- 
ject of education. Children often attend school month 
after month, and see no parent Avithin the room. The 
teacher urges upon their consideration the great value of 
knowledge day after day, and repeats his earnest desire 
for their improvement ; but often his words and interest 
are almost neutralized by the indifference and inattention 
of their dearest friends. They begin to think that 
education is of little consequence, and that it matters 
not whether they are industrious or idle. As they never 
see their parents within the school-room, they begin to 
think that their teacher is the only individual interested 
in their progress, and that he is so, because it is in the 
way of his business. Hence a teacher's injunctions and 
example often fall powerless, for the want of the quick- 



300 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

GOOD EFFECTS OF SCHOOL VISITS. 

ening influences of a parent's interest, and a parent's 
endorsement. 

In passing through manufacturing villages, we fre- 
quently notice over the doors of certain buildings, in 
large characters, " No admittance, except on busi- 
ness." Plain and positive as this inscription appears to 
be, it does not always prove effectual. Yankee curiosity, 
and Yankee ingenuity, will contrive to gain entrance. I 
have sometimes thought that, if the word " School- 
house " should be inscribed over the entrance, those 
within would never suffer the slightest annoyance from 
visitors. I trust, however, that, so far as our school 
is concerned, the writing over the door-way may be, 
" Every parent and citizen has an interest in 
the business transacted within, and may at all 
times have a free admittance, and feel at per- 
fect liberty to inspect the operations of those 
within!" 

If, therefore, you have never been in the habit of 
visiting your children's school, let me affectionately invite 
you to begin the practice. It will increase your own 
interest, and redouble theirs. Whenever you may have 
a leisure hour, will you not come and spend it with your 
children, and listen to their recitations ? Depend upon 
it, if you will adopt this course, their zeal and studious- 
ness will be greatly increased ; and they will cheerfully 
apply themselves to prepare their daily exercises, when 
they feel that their father or their mother may be present 
when they are called upon to recite, — for what child will 
not be ambitious to do well at'such a time? But I must 
leave the subject with you, hoping that you will carefully 
consider its importance. 



A teacher's appeal to parents. 301 



THE BOOKS TO BE READ. 



7. Have a regard to the character of the books 
your children read^ and see that they read under- 
standingly. 

Of making books there is no end ; and, if all books 
were good books, we might wish there would be no end. 
It is, however, a lamentable fact, that many books and 
pamphlets are published, of which every philanthropist 
would wish, not only that there might be an end, but 
also, that there had never been a beginning. 

The press is teeming with publications, not of ques- 
tionable utility merely, but of a character truly immoral 
and licentious. These are printed in an attractive and 
cheap form, and scattered broadcast through the commu- 
nity, contaminating and ruining the susceptible minds of 
the young. The fruits of these productions may be 
silver and gold to the makers and venders ; but, to the 
community, they are vanity, idleness, intemperance, 
licentiousness, anarchy, poverty, misery, and destruction. 

I feel that I am safe in asserting, that many a noble 
mind has been lost to itself, to friends, and to the public, 
through the influence of light and immoral reading. 
Precious time has been frittered away, bright talents 
have been prostituted and perverted, health has been 
impaired, property^ wasted, and the happiness of whole 
families and neighborhoods destroyed, by the perusal 
of the publications to which I allude. I need not name 
particular books. 

I fear some may be found on the shelves of our most 
respectable book-stores. Many of the "Tales," and 
"Mysteries," &c., stories of "shocking murders and 
piracies," and even many of the " Almanacs," that are 
so freely circulated, are unworthy of a place in any 
26 



302 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

SUITABLE BOOKS AKD HABIT OF READING. 

respectable house ; and I hope the day will come, when 
our principal booksellers will have a conscientious regard 
to the character of the works they sell. 

The man who, at the present day, sells intoxicating 
drinks, is regarded as an enemy to mankind ; and why 
should we not look upon that man in the same light, 
who, for the sake of gain, aids in circulating books which 
will poison the mind, and deaden, or pervert, all the finer 
and nobler sensibilities of the soul? But, so long as 
there exists in the community a demand for trifling and 
fictitious reading, so long, I fear, will the demand be 
supplied by men, whose chief object is gain. 

But I wish, at the present time, merely to call your 
attention to the subject, as regards your own children. 
It is very desirable that they should spend a portion of 
their time in reading ; and, if they read suitable books 
in a proper manner, they cannot spend it more profit- 
ably. Therefore, I most earnestly urge you to see that 
your children read only such books as will impart to them 
useful information and wholesome moral instruction, — 
such books as will tend to make them wiser and better. 
Do what you can towards the establishment and support 
of school-libraries, and, in this way, you may do much 
for the improvement and happiness of the rising genera- 
tion. I also invite you to do what you can to keep them 
from a hasty and superficial manner of reading. Such 
reading cannot be productive of much good, and only 
tends to distract and weaken the mind. Induce them to 
read with a strong desire to acquire knowledge. Ques- 
tion them often respecting what they have read ; and, if 
their views are vague and indefinite, urge them to 
re-peruse, in order that they may gain and impart 



A teacher's appeal to parents. 303 

KINDNESS AND COURTEOUSNESS. 

knowledge. If you will pursue this course, I feel con- 
vinced that you will exert a most salutary influence, not 
only upon your children, but, through them, upon the 
community. 

8. Aid me i?i my endeavors to check selfishness and 
iwoniote a spirit of kindfiess and forbearance. 

Much of the unhappiness and trouble of life come 
from a spirit of selfishness, — a feeling that everything 
must yield to one's own desires, regardless of time or 
circumstances. It is sometimes the case that children 
are indulged in every real and imaginary want while at 
home, and, when they go to school or elsewhere, they 
feel sadly injured and abused, if they cannot have the 
same indulgences. Such ones will find trouble and dis- 
appointment at every step. May I not ask that we may 
cooperate in endeavoring to train the young to regard 
the rights of others, and to treat all with a true spirit of 
kindness and forbearance ? May we not do what we can 
to lead them to seek for that which will be for their true 
good and happiness, rather than for the indulgence of 
some favorite notions or wishes ? May not their happi- 
ness be increased, by leading them to feel an interest in 
the desires and rights of their associates, and, at times, 
to give up their own wishes, in order to gratify or oblige 
others ? May Ave not, then, strive to convince them that 
in many cases it is really " more blessed to give than 
to receive," — more conducive to true happiness to do a 
favor, than it is to receive one. 

9. Cultivate^ in your children^ habits of true polite- 
ness and courtesy. 

True education requires the full development and 
exercise of the better feelings of the heart, and the 



304 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

EFFECTS OF POLITENESS. 

proper culture of these will exhibit themselves in out- 
ward actions and expressions. Indeed, we are much 
inclined to form an estimate of those with whom we meet 
or associate, from their mode of address, and from exter- 
nal appearances. If they are coarse and rude in their 
manners, rough and undignified in their salutations and 
remarks, or uncourteous and abrupt in their answers, we 
are inclined to avoid them, and regard them as unkind 
and uncompanionable. We do not expect to find much 
that is attractive in them; and, if they possess some 
worthy qualities, their first appearance is so repulsive, 
that we are hardly prepared to witness any subsequent 
evidence of real humanity and goodness. 

Again, we meet with those, whose dignified and manly 
demeanor, social and free manner, combined with true 
politeness and civility, at once attract and charm us. In 
every act and expression, they furnish such indubitable 
evidence of good breeding, and so kind a regard for the 
feelings of others, that we look upon them as noble speci- 
mens of a noble race. We can hardly imagine that they 
can or will be guilty of any wrong or undignified act. 
By their pleasant and obliging manners, they command 
the respect and esteem of all with whom they associate, 
and gain an influence which will be really irresistible. 
Inasmuch, then, as true courteousness contributes so 
much to make one an agreeable companion, and thus adds 
to his pleasant influences, is it not worthy of our united 
eiforts to do what we can to instil, into the young, feel- 
ings of true politeness, so that they may, at all times, in 
all places, and under all circumstances, act a "manly 
part"? While unkind words, and abrupt answers and 
expressions, never do good, pleasant tones, kindly w^ords 



A teacher's appeal to parents. 305 



THE DEFIXITIOX OF " GExVTLEMAN. " 



and civil ansAvers, always command admiration and attract 
attention. So much of the happiness of a family, school 
or community, depends upon the proper manifestation 
of kindly expressions, in relation, even, to every-day 
greetings, that too much care cannot be taken rightly 
to train and influence the young, so that they may 
become gentlemen in the truest and best sense of the 
term. "A gentleman," says Bishop Doane, "is gentle. 
A gentleman is modest. A gentleman is courteous. A 
gentleman is generous. A gentleman is slow to take 
offence, as being one that never gives it. A gentleman 
is slow to surmise evil, as being one that never thinks it. 
A gentleman goes armed only in consciousness of 
right. A gentleman refines his tastes. A gentleman 
subdues his feelings. A gentleman controls his speech. 
A gentleman deems every other better than himself. Sir 
Philip Sidney Avas never so much a gentleman, — mirror 
though he was of England's knighthood, — as when, upon 
the field of Zutphen, as he lay in his own blood, he 
waived the draught of cold spring-water that was 
brought to quench his mortal thirst, in favor of a dying 
soldier." 

Let me, therefore, affectionately invite you to induce 
your children to be respectful, obliging, and gentlemanly, 
in all their actions and expressions. The true spirit and 
exercise of politeness will deter them from the commis- 
sion of many rude acts, and exert a controlling and 
salutary influence over their whole conduct. 

Before I close, allow me to repeat the points 1 have 
placed before you, the observance of which will be 
most beneficial to your children, and, through them, to 
all with whom they associate. 
26* 



I 



306 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

"THE SUMMING UP." 

1. Send your children to school seasonably and con- 
stantly. 

2. Encourage them to respect and obey the rules and 
requirements of their school. 

3. Encourage them to be orderly, &c. 

4. Encourage them to be studious. 

5. Visit them at school. 

6. Have a regard to the character of the books your 
children read, and see that they read understandingly. 

7. Aid me to check selfishness, and promote a spirit 
of kindness and forbearance. 

8. Cultivate in your children hal)its of politeness and 
courtesy. 

These duties, and others growing out of them, perform 
faithfully, and you will find a most abundant reward in 
the increased interest of your children, and their growth 
in knowledge and virtue. 

With affectionate regard, 

Your friend, and your children's 

Teacher. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

PARENTS SHOULD BE CANDID AND CHARI- 
TABLE. 

Parents are sometimes too ready to listen, approv- 
ingly, to the complaints of their children, and often 
censure the instructor without sufficient reason. I would 
not be understood to say that teachers always pursue a 
course above censure, or that they always do things in 
the best or most prudent manner. They are but men, 
with the infirmities of men, and need the heartfelt sym- 
pathies, the encouragement, and cheerful cooperation, of 
their patrons. In the formation and execution of their 
plans, they must be allowed to pursue their own course, 
nor should they be expected to coincide with the views 
and wishes of all. This would be impossible, as there 
are widely-differing views among their patrons. Parents 
are often — unconsciously, I doubt not — guilty of causing 
much injury to schools, by manifesting an interest in all 
the little antipathies which their children may have con- 
tracted, and by sympathizing with them in all the little 
wrongs, real or imaginary, to which they have been 
subjected. 

Probably there is no individual whose motives and 
proceedings are so often and so grossly misconceived 
and misrepresented, as are those of the school-teacher. 
This, we may readily see, arises from the very nature of 
his employment. He has to deal with the mind and 



308 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

UNREASONABLE COMPLAINTS. 

passions in all their various workings^ and that at an 
age when reason and prudence have but a very limited 
sway. As his pupils differ in disposition and under- 
standing, so his efforts to secure order and obedience, and 
his incentives to exertion, must vary. To one a mere 
look or word of reproof will be as effectual as the most 
severe discipline to another ; and yet, is not the faithful, 
prudent, and skilful teacher, often severely censured, and 
accused of partiality, while endeavoring to adapt his 
mode of discipline to the peculiar disposition of an 
offender 7 * 

A conscientious and wise instructor will consider it an 
important part of his duty so to study the character and 
peculiar disposition of each pupil that he may be able to 
pursue that course of discipline which will best secure 
the reform or best good of every one. But, from a 
want of proper consideration on the part of many parents 
and guardians, this is made a fruitful source of com- 
plaint and faidt-Ji?idifig'. 

A teacher may pursue that course which experience 
and observation dictate as the best, and which an interest 
in the welfare and improvement of his pupils prompts 
him to pursue, and, while thus acting, and thus influenced 
by the purest motives, he is, perhaps, represented by 
one as being too severe, by another, too lax, and by 
many as partial in his discipline ; this parent complains 
that his children have not studies enough, and that 
because his has too many. And whence comes all this 
complaint with parents 7 Does it proceed from frequent 
visits to the school-room, and from actual observation 
while there 7 By no means; but from the distorted 
statements of interested and ex parte witnesses, — the 



PARENTS SHOULD BE CANDID AND CHARITABLE. 309 

PUPIL LIABLE TO BIASED JUDGMENT. 

pupils themselves ; and many a poor teacher is tried^ 
found guilty, condemned^ and almost executed, without 
being afforded the least opportunity for self-defence, and, 
perchance, entirely unconscious of the crimes or devia- 
tions for which he is under sentence. 

"But," says one, "shall parents always submit to what 
the teacher does ? Is he always in the right, and parents 
and children in the wrong?" Certainly not; the teacher 
is not infallible : but does he not, or ought he not, best 
understand his own business ? At all events, will it 
always answer to rely on the pupil's judgment 7 Will 
he not often be influenced by motives similar to those 
of the lad, who, when asked by his teacher in what 
way he should prefer to be punished, replied, with much 
readiness, "i/" you please, sir, according to the Ital- 
ian system of petimanship, — heavy strokes up, dovm 
ones lighV"] 

If parents really feel that the teacher has erred, and 
their children have been injured or neglected, would it 
not be better to go directly to him, and, with a spirit of 
candor and kindness, make known their feelings ? Pos- 
sibly, they have not been rightly informed ; or, perhaps, a 
false coloring has been given, or some circumstances 
withheld ; and, upon hearing the whole story, they may 
become fully satisfied that no injustice or wrong has been 
intended or committed. In most cases, such would 
undoubtedly be the result. I do not intend to assert 
that most children design to make false statements ; but 
they are so easily biased and prejudiced, that they, fre- 
quently, imagine many things which exist only in 
imagination. A wrong word, an improper emphasis^ 



310 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

EARLY PREJUDICES : ANECDOTES. 

a slight omissioji or addition, often very materially 
affects an account. 

Parents, probably, are not always aware of the nature 
and extent of their influence, directly and indirectly, 
upon their children, who are prone to like or dislike 
what their parents like or dislike, and endeavor to 
express the same sentiment that they hear expressed at 
the fireside, though not always correctly. Few realize 
how many notions and prejudices children form, under 
the influence of those with whom they spend most of 
their time. 

A child, being asked by his Sabbath-school teacher, 
''Who killed Abel?" promptly replied, "Gen. Jack- 
son !" In one of those periods of high political excite- 
ment (whose influence upon the young is most 
deleterious), she had heard so much said against the 
general, that she thought, as a matter of course, that he 
was a general murderer^ and was the only man bad 
enough to commit the first homicide. Another, being 
asked in what state man was left after the " fall," readily 
answered, " Vermont." Having always lived in that 
state, and having heard its name more frequently than 
any other, he thought it the only state in which any 
important event could happen. 

Parents should feel an interest tJi the residts of the 
teacher'' s labors. 

With many, perhaps we may say, with most parents, 
there is a ready inclination to render the instructor of 
their children cheerful and prompt cooperation in every 
desirable particular ; but it is not so with all. In most 
communities may be found those perverse dispositions 
which know not what it is to lend aid in any good work. 



PARENTS SHOULD BE CANDID AND CHARITABLE. 311 

LIMITED INTEREST. — THE DUTCHMAN. ' 

Capricious, captious, and uneasy, they can find nothing 
to their hking. They view all objects and operations 
with a jaundiced eye. With such, the only desirable 
thing about schools is, that they are standing objects, 
about which they may daily vent their bitterness. The 
children of these parents never hear their teachers 
alluded to, except it be in language the most derogatory 
and abusive ; and they enter the school-room not only 
without a single prepossession in its favor, but with 
heads full of distorted views and ill-conceived preju- 
dices. 

There is another class of parents who are perfectly 
willing to'throAv all responsibility upon the teacher, w^ith 
little or no interest in the result. They are ready to 
furnish books, and supply all the external school- wants 
of their children ; and, beyond this, manifest no interest. 
In employing a teacher, and sending their children t ) 
school, they feel that their entire obligation ceases ; and, 
if things go to destruction, it is no concern of theirs, 
and they feel no interest in preventing it. They are, in 
some respects, as independent and regardless of results 
as was the Dutchman, who, having given very willingly 
the sum of five hundred dollars to aid in the erection of 
a church, was subsequently called upon to contribute for 
the purpose of procuring a lightning-rod for the better 
security of the building. Assuming a very decided 
manner, he refused to give, saying, " I have help build 
de Lord a nice house : and now, if he pe mind to dunder 
it down, let him pe welcome to do it, and I will be sure 
to put noting in de way of it." 

So the parents alluded to seem to say, by their actions, 
'• We have sent our children to school, and, if the teacher 



312 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

EXTRAVAGANT EXPECTATIONS. 

does not take care of them, and educate them, it is no 
concern of ours ;" and, like the Dutchman, they appear 
perfectly willing to sacrifice their investment, rather than 
extend any aid which will seem designed to assist in 
preserving the same from loss or injury. 

Parents should not be extravagant and unreason- 
able in their expectations. 

Every parent wishes his children to excel ; and if they 
do not, he is prone to censure the teacher and accuse 
him of neglect. Now, it is sometimes the case that a boy 
may attend school month after month, and season after 
season, receive every possible attention, and yet make 
but little progress. The best of teachers cannot make 
first-rate scholars from second or third rate stock. But 
it frequently happens, that a boy of very ordinary abili- 
ties — and those blunted or stunted by neglect or 
mismanagement in his physical training — is sent to 
school occasiotially^ and, if he does not learn rapidly 
and make a " right smart " scholar it is entirely charge- 
able to the poor teacher. But it should be known that 
no mortal influence can cause such pupils to advance 
under such circumstances, or create life or replenish the 
strength for a boy whose entire energies have been 
tasked to their utmost in counteracting the indulgence 
of an excessive appetite, or the gross abuse of his phys- 
ical nature, in any way. A lady once called upon an 
instructor, and asked him how her daughter succeeded. 
'^ Why," said he, " not very well ; she lacks capac- 
ity." "0! if that is all," said the lady, "you buy 
her a first-rate capacity, and charge it in her next 
quarter's bill !" 

Now, while it should be known by all that teachers 



PARENTS SHOULD BE CANDID AND CHARITABLE. 313 



CAPACITIES CANNOT BE PURCHASED. 



can neither make nor purchase capacities, it should also 
be remembered that, with the kindly, prompt and con- 
tinued, aid of parents, they may do much to improve 
and develop capacities which are naturally far from 
being brilliant or powerful. 
27 



CHAPTER IX. 

HIGH AND HONORABLE MOTIVES FOR 
ACTION. 

It is very desirable that a true sense of right and 
wrong, and correct ideas of propriety, should be early 
and carefully impressed upon the young, — that they be 
induced to love and pursue the right, and detest and 
shun the wrong, and to perform every act and every duty 
from high and honorable motives. Thus trained, chil- 
dren will grow up free from those debasing and selfish 
influences which are now, so frequently, developed in 
society. 

How often is it that parents and teachers, thought- 
lessly, do injury to the young, by holding before them 
unworthy motives for action ! Who, in this money-seek- 
ing and dollar-grasping age of ours, may not trace an 
over-anxious desire for riches to the injudicious practice 
of some parents of influencing the child's mind by the 
profier of a few cents, as an inducement to perform some 
duty 7 Or, who cannot trace the development of erro- 
neous views, and of bigoted or superstitious feelings, to 
the prevalent habit, with parents and others, of relating 
to children extravagant and unreasonable stories? 

The young should early be impressed with the im- 
portance of exercising a charitable spirit, and of delight- 
ing, rather, in the merits^ than in the errors and frail- 
ties^ of others. How many have been lost to society and 



HONORABLE MOTIVES. 315 



A COMPASSIONATE AND FORGIVING SPIRIT. 



usefulness, by the coldness of the world, in the way of 
downright slander, or of sly insinuations, which are, 
often, worse, in their effects, than slander ! How many 
have been made morose and misanthropic, on account of 
ill-treatment received ! Let the young be taught to feel 
that there may be some good traits in all, and to exercise 
a compassionate and forgiving spirit towards the frail 
and erring, — ever preferring to speak kindly, and think 
charitably, towards all and of all. If, as will sometimes 
be the case, children go to parents to complain of real 
or imaginary ^vrongs, on the part of their teacher, let not 
those patents be instrumental of cherishing a capricious 
spirit by coinciding with all that may be said ; but let 
them rather aim to discover and assign a good reason for 
every act complained of. The young may thus be taught 
the importance of exercising a charitable spirit. 

A few years ago, there died, in one of our southern 
cities, a man possessed of immense wealth. He had 
lived a secluded and miserly life, his one and only appa- 
rent desire seeming to be, the accumulation of riches. 
Denying himself every rational enjoyment, he bent all 
his energies to the accomplishment of the one purpose of 
his heart. Without manifesting the slightest interest in 
the welfare of those around him, he ''toiled and moiled, 
poor muck- worm," to increase his store of wealth. De- 
spised and shunned, he lived, — lonely and neglected, he 
died ; and, were it not for the last clause of his will, we 
might have been left to beheve that human sympathy, in 
any form, never possessed his heart. But, from that, 
we may infer that his mind, from some early ill-treat- 
ment, had received a misanthropic turn, from which it 
could never recover, — yet, down deep in that miser's 



816 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

CLAUSE OF A RICH MAN'S WILL. 

heart, there seems to have been some kindly and sympa- 
thetic feeling, which developed itself in view of approach- 
ing death, in a wise distribution of the wealth acquired 
by life-long self-denial and toil. After specifying the 
objects to which his immense wealth should be appropri- 
ated, — a large part of which was for the support of free 
schools for poor children, — he thus speaks: ^'And (I 
was near forgetting that) I have, still, one small request 
to make, — one little favor to ask, — and it shall be the 
last. It is, that it may be permitted, annually, to the 
children of the free schools situate the nearest to my 
place of interment, to plant and water a few flowers 
around my grave ! This httle act will have a double 
tendency ; it will open their young and susceptible hearts 
to gratitude and love to their divine Creator, for having 
raised up, as an humble instrument of his bounty to 
them, a poor frail worm of earth like me, and teach 
them, at the same time, what they are, whence they came, 
and whither they must return." What an impressive 
lesson ought we to learn from these few lines, as emanat- 
ing from a heart, apparently, callous and indifferent to all 
those tender feelings and sympathies which usually bind 
man to his fellow-man, and prompt to those little acts of 
kindly aid which tend so much to strew life's pathway 
with flowers ! 

If possible, the young should be trained to feel that 
they have duties to perform, and that, if they labor with 
fidelity and earnestness, they may rise to exalted stations 
of influence and usefulness. In a government like ours, 
with the means of knowledge so widely diffused, the 
highest posts of honor are alike attainable by the rich and 
poor. ''The great poet, the illustrious statesman, the 



HONORABLE MOTIVES. 317 

HIGH POSITIONS ATTAINABLE BY ALL. 

eloquent orator, is as likely to go forth from the brown- 
faced laborer's cottage over the way, as from the sump- 
tuous palaces of the capital. The future ruler of an 
empire may be unconsciously digging in yonder field ; 
and this very school may be, under God, the appointed 
means of revealing his unsuspected destiny to him and to 
the world." * If the young are early trained to habits 
of persevering industry, if they are rightly taught the 
nature of their obligations and the extent of their capa- 
bilities, and, at the same time, are made to feel that they 
must, with certain aids, carve their own fortunes, they 
will be instructed in the true steps and principles of pro- 
gressive usefulness and increasing influence. 

We are blessed with a noble country ; a goodly heri- 
tage is ours. It is for us, in a great degree, to answer 
the momentous question, "What is to be the future of 
this magnificent country? " "On this point, mournful 
voices are already beginning to be scattered upon the air. 
Men, and women too, are predicting evil issues. It may 
be so. It may be that our experience is to add to the 
warnings and admonitions of history ; that the voice of 
the past is to sigh through the shattered walls and broken 
arches of our social fabric. It may be that our sun is to 
go down in blood ; that violence is to rend asunder the 
chain of our union, and scatter its links in wild disorder ; 
that our soil is to be drenched with fraternal blood ; that 
the pleasant gardens of our prosperity are to be uprooted 
by the whirlwinds of anarchy, or iron-bound by the 
polar frost of despotism. It will be so, if our material 
civilization is always to keep far in advance of our men- 



* C. Felton. 



318 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

OUR PBOSPECTS. — BRITISH ADMIRAL. 

tal and moral cultivation ; if prosperity is to make us 
selfish, if wealth is to make us hard-hearted, if power is 
to make us tyrannous. But not thus would I cast the 
Horoscope of our country's fortunes. There are two 
great houses in the world, — the house of hope, and the 
house of fear ; far be from me and my friends the badges 
and the livery of that latter house ! I will not beheve 
that the life of nations is like the life of trees ; that, by 
an inevitable law, they, too, have their periods of growth, 
maturity, and decline ; but I hold that it is sin alone that 
makes a people weak, and wickedness that makes them 
old, and that in the fear of God and the keeping of his 
commandments there is perpetual youth. 

" Upon us, and those who are to come after us, — upon 
the young, especially, who are ever the patriot's hope 
and the good man's trust, — and upon those to whom the 
training of the young is intrusted, whether as parents or 
teachers, does this great responsibility rest. The life of 
man should here reflect the spirit of our institutions, and 
be cast in a mould of greatness analogous to the physical 
features of our country. It should be grave, simple, 
earnest, and manly. It should be dedicated to high pur- 
poses, and governed by a spirit of moral thoughtfulness. 
There is no place, here, for the idler, the trifler, the 
scoffer, and the voluptuary. Every man's life is of con- 
sequence, as forming a part of the life of the state. 

" The last signal made by the British admiral, on the 
morning of the battle of Trafalgar, was in words which 
have become historical and immortal : ' England ex- 
pects every man to do his duty ! ' Would that we could 
carve upon our hearts the spirit of these words ; for, 
though the storm-cloud of battle does not lower upon our 



HONORABLE MOTIVES. 819 



GLORIOUS AND LASTING RESULTS. 



path, yet peaxje has its dangers and its trials, no less than 
war. Would that each of us, when our country's flag is 
floating upon the breeze, could see, with the mind's eye, 
written in letters of living light upon its ample folds, 
* America expects every man to do his duty ! ' 
Would that the contemplation of our present and our 
future might inspire us, not only with patriotic pride 
and gratitude, but with a firm resolve to set upon the 
brow of our country a more than regal coronet, with the 
virtues of her children for its sparkling gems ! With 
this spirit and this resolve, we shall construct her pros- 
perity from elements as indestructible and unchanging as 
the laws of falling bodies, or the impulses of maternal 
love." ^ 

In concluding this volume, I would, once more, ear- 
nestly entreat parents to consider the nature and magni- 
tude of the responsibilities which devolve upon them. 
The duties they owe to the young are of no trifling con- 
sideration. The happy results of the wise performance 
of them will be far-reaching, never-ending; the evil 
efiects of wrong influences or of neglect will be as exten- 
sive and as lasting. Parents ! will you look at the sub- 
ject in its true light ? Will you view it in all its realities, 
and contemplate its height and depth, its length and 
breadth ? Will you consider it as affecting the condition 
of your children, and of the community? Will you 
regard it in the light of your accountability to God, and 
strive, in every way, to assist in training the youth 
intrusted to your care so that they will, in their lives, 
honor and glorify their Creator 7 Will you do what you 

* G. S. Hillard. 



320 COMMON SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

CONCLUDING REMARKS. 

can to prepare them to act wisely and well their parts in 
life ? If you will, then you may he the humble instru- 
ments, in God's hands, of accomplishing a great and good 
work for the community, and for the dearest objects of 
your affection. If you will, then will you contribute 
your part towards the discharge of the duty resting upon 
every citizen of our country. If you will, then will you 
do something towards the dissemination and perpetuity 
of those republican blessings and virtues which we now 
enjoy. If you will, then will you prove yourselves the 
worthy citizens of a noble republic, promoting its best 
interests, and increasing its power and influence. 

And thus " Let each generation sweep majestically 
on, in an increased and increasing current, each living 
upon, and growing upon, the granaries of the past, and 
heaping up resources for the future. Let each succeed- 
ing generation more fully develop the true principles of 
life and action, hushing the evil propensities of man, and 
leading him gently by the hand into the paths of virtue 
and wisdom. Above all, in this free and Christian re- 
public, let the power and influence of intellect be ever 
guided by the conservative and invigorating principles of 
religion and morality." * Thus may each generation 
faithfully perform the obligations implied in the noble 
sentiment introduced into the first chapter of this volume, 
— a sentiment that should be regarded and cherished by 
every citizen of our land : — 

"EDUCATION: A debt due from present to 

FUTURE GENERATIONS." 

*W. D. Northend. 



APPENDIX. 

BOOKS FOR A TEACHER'S LIBRARY. 



It should be the aim of every teacher to become the owner of a 
library. The number of works designed especially for teachers has 
greatly increased within a few years, but is still quite limited. 
Below is a list of books which are deserving a place in every library. 
Many of them relate directly to the profession of the teacher, and oth- 
ers contain information of value to every one. It is not, of course, my 
purpose to give a complete catalogue of suitable books, but to desig- 
nate many that should form a part of such a catalogue. 



Theory and Practice of Teaching. By David P. Page, M.A., late 
Principal of the New York State Normal School. New York : A. S. 
Barnes & Co. 8vo. pp. 349. 

An excellent work, by a most sensible man and an eminently useful 
teacher. Every teacher and friend of education should own this 
volume. 

The School and the Schoolmaster. By Alonzo Potter, D.D. , Bishop 
of Pennsylvania, and George B. Emerson, A.M., President of the 
American Institute of Instruction. Boston: WilUam B. Fowle. 12mo. 
pp. 552. 

This work is too well known to need comment. 

Lectures before the American Institute of Instruction, from 1830 to 
the present time ; 20 vols. Boston : William D. Ticknor & Co. 

Normal Schools, and other Institutions, Agencies and Means, de- 
signed for the Professional Education of Teachers. By Henry Bar- 
nard, Superintendent of Common Schools of Connecticut. Hartford : 
Case, Tiffany & Co. Svo. pp. 657. 

This volume abounds in valuable suggestions, and should be in the 
library of every teacher. 

The Life and Correspondence of Thomas Arnold, D.D., late Head 
Master of Rugby School, and Regius Professor of Modem History in 



322 APPENDIX. 



n 



the University of Oxford. By A. P. Stanley, A.M. London and 
New York ; 1846. 8vo. pp. 490. 

History of Education, Ancient and Modern. By H. I. Smith, A.M. 
Harpers' Family Library, No. 156. 

Teaching a Science ; the Teacher an Artist. By Rev. Baynard R. 
Hall, A.M. New York : Baker & Scribner ; 1848. 12mo. pp. 305. 

Common Schools and Teachers' Seminaries ; embracing a Report on 
Elementary Public Instruction in Europe, and an Article on Normal 
Schools and Teachers' Seminaries. By Calvin E. Stowe, D.D., Pro- 
fessor in Lane Seminary, Cincinnati. Boston : 1839. 12mo. pp. 126. 

Report on Education in Europe. By Alexander D. Bache, LL.D. 
Philadelphia : 1839. 12mo. pp. 666. 

Hints on a System of Popular Education. By Prof. E. C. Wines. 
Philadelphia : 1838. 12mo. pp. 225. 

The Teacher Taught ; or, the Principles and Modes of Teaching. 
By Emerson Davis, D.D. Boston : 1839. 12mo. pp. 79. 

The Teacher's Manual ; containing Practical Suggestions on Teach- 
ing and Popular Education. By Henry Dunn, Secretary of the British 
and Foreign School Society. London : edited by Rev. T. H. Gallau- 
det. Hartford : 1839. 12mo. pp. 223. 

Lord Brougham on Education. Edited by J. Orville Taylor. New 
York: 1839. 12mo. pp. 91. 

The Teacher's Institute ; or, Familiar Hints to Young Teachers. 
By William B. Fowle. Boston : 1847. 12mo. pp. 258. 

The Teacher ; or, Moral Influences employed in the Instruction and 
Government of the Young. By Jacob Abbot. Boston : 1833. 12mo. 
pp. 293. 

Some Thoughts Concerning Education, by John Locke, and a 
Treatise on Education, by John Milton. Edited by William Russell. 
Boston: 1830. 12mo. pp. 317. 

The Teacher's Manual. By Thomas H. Palmer. Boston : 1840. 
pp. 263. 

The District School as It Was. By Rev. Warren Burton. New 
York : 1838. 

Confessions of a Schoolmaster. By William A. Alcott, M.D. New 
York. 12mo. pp. 316. 

Account of the Edinburgh Sessional School. By John Wood. Bos- 
ton: 1830. 

School Architecture. By Hon. Henry Barnard, Commissioner of 
Schools for the State of Rhode Island. New York : 1846. 

Prize Essay, on the Improvement of the Common Schools of Connect- 
icut. By Prof Noah Porter. Hartford : 1846. 



APPENDIX. 323 

The Student's Manual. By John Todd, D.D. 12mo. pp. 392. 

Dr. Channing on Self-Culture, and Miss Sedgwick on Self-Training. 

The Schoolmaster's Friend. By Theodore D wight, Jr. 

The Common School System of New York. By S. S. Randall. 

Lectures on School-Keeping. By Rev. S. R. Hall. Boston : 1829. 

Transactions of the Western Literary Listitute and College of Pro- 
fessional Teachers, from 1834 to 1840 ; six vols. 8vo. Cincinnati. 

American Annals of Education, 

Locke Amsden ; or, the Schoolmaster. By D. P. Thompson. Bos- 
ton : B. B. Mussey & Co. 12mo. pp. 231. 

The Architecture of Country Houses. By A. J. Downing. New 
York : D. Appleton & Co. Bvo. pp. 484. 

This is an admirable work, containing so much information on 
architecture, styles of furniture, modes of warming and ventilation, 
that it is well deserving a place in every library of our land. 

Smyth's Lectures on Modern History, with additions, by J. Sparks. 
Boston : B. B. Mussey & Co. 8vo. pp. 738. 

Taylor's Manual of Ancient and Modern History, revised by C. S. 
Henry, D.D. New York : D. Appleton & Co, 8vo. pp. 797. 

A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines. By Andrew Ure, 
M.D. New York : D. Appleton & Co. 8vo. pp. 1644. 

History of Modern Philosophy. By M. Victor Cousin. Translated 
by 0. W. Wright. New York : D. Appleton & Co, 2 vols. 8vo. pp. 
891. 

How shall I Govern my School ? By E. C, Wines. Philadelphia : 
W. Marshall & Co. 12mo. pp. 309. 

American Institutions, and their Influence. By Alexis De Toeque- 
ville, with notes by J. C. Spencer. New York : A. S. Barnes & Co. 
8vo, pp. 460. 

Earth and Man. By Arnold Guyot. Translated by C, C. Felton. 
Boston : Gould, Kendall & Lincoln. 12mo. pp. 300. 

Th« Constitution of Man. By George Combe. Boston : B, B. 
Mussey & Co. 12mo. pp. 390. 

Thomson's Seasons, with Notes by James R. Boyd. New York : A. 
S. Barnes & Co. 12mo. pp. 335. 

Paradise Lost, with Notes by James R- Boyd. New York : A. S. 
Barnes & Co. 12mo. • 

Young's Night Thoughts, with Notes by James R. Boyd. New 
York : A. S. Barnes & Co. 12mo. pp. 516. 

The above are very interesting editions of three standard volumes. 

Chambers' Information for the People. Philadelphia : J. & J. 
L. Gihon. 2 vols 8^0. pp. 1085. 



324 APPENDIX. 

Graham's English Synonymes, with additions by H. Kead, LL.D. 
New York : D. Appleton & Co. 12mo. pp. 344. 

American Education, its Principles and Elements. By E. D. Mans- 
field. New York : A. S. Barnes & Co. 12mo. pp. 330. 

Popular Education. By Ira Mayhew, A.M. New York : Harper 
& Brothers. 12mo. pp. 467. 

The Massachusetts Teacher. By a Committee of the Massachusetts 
Teachers' Association. Boston : Samuel Coolidge. 8vo. pp. 384. 5 
Tolumes already published. 

Transactions of Massachusetts Teachers' Association. Vol. I. for 
1845-47. Boston : Samuel Coolidge. 12mo. pp. 34 . 

The Elements of Pohtical Economy. By F. Wayland, D.D. Bos- 
ton : Gould & Lincoln. 12mo. pp. 406. 

Journal of R. I. Institute of Instruction for 1846-47 ; 2 vols. Ed- 
ited by Henry Barnard. Providence : C. Burnet, Jr. 8vo. 

Miscellaneous Works of Thomas Arnold, D.D., late Head Master 
of Rugby School. New York : D. Appleton & Co. 8vo. pp. 545. 

Lectures on Modern History. By Thomas Arnold, D.D. New 
York : D. Appleton & Co. 12mo. pp. 428. 

Atlas and Gazetteer of the Holy Scriptures. By the Rev. William 
Jenks, D.D. Boston : Jenks, Hickling & Swan. 4to. pp. 157. 

The Illustrated Atlas and Modern History of the World, Geograph- 
ical, Political, Commercial and Statistical. Edited by R. M. Martin, 
Esq. London and New York : J. Tallis & Co. 

Essays on Ancient Literature and Art. By Bamas Sears, B. B. 
Edwards, and C. C. Felton. Boston : Gould & Lincoln. 12mo. 
pp. 413. 

The Massachusetts System of Common Schools. Boston : Button & 
Wentworth. 8vo. pp. 212. 

The Elements of Geology. By Justin R. Loomis. Boston : Gould 
& Lincoln. 12mo. pp. 198. 

Chambers' Miscellany of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge. 10 
vols. Boston : Gould & Lincoln. 

Chambers' Cyclopedia of English Literature. 2 vols. 8vo. pp. 
2400, and more than 300 elegant illustrations. Boston : Gould & 
Lincoln. 

' A Compendium of English Literature. By Charles D. Cleveland. 
Philadelphia : E. C. & J. Biddle. 12mo. pp. 72. 

Essays on Education. By the Central Society of Education. 8 
vols. 12mo. London. 

Logic of Mathematics. By Charles Davies, LL.D. New York : A. 
S. Barnes & Co. 



APPENDIX. 325 

The Common School Journal. Edited by Horace Mann. 

There are ten or twelve bound volumes of this valuable work. They 
contain a great variety of matter of interest to teachers and friends 
of education. 

Outlines of Universal History, from the Creation of the World to 
the Present Day. By George Weber. Boston : Jenks, Hickling & 
Swan. 8vo. pp. 559. 

The American Encyclopedia. 

McCulloch's Geographical and Commercial Dictionaries. 

Brande's Dictionary of Science, Literature and Art. 

Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. 

In addition to the above works, teachers should take and peruse 
educational journals. In several of the states the teachers have 
established periodicals devoted to the interests of their profession ; 
and all engaged in teaching should see that they do their part in 
sustaining these works. The States of Massachusetts, New York, 
Ohio, Missouri, and othei-s, now have such journals, which reflect 
much credit upon those who sustain them. 
28 



BOOKS FOR THE YOUNG. 



I HAVE spoken of tlie importance of cultivating in the young a taste 
for reading, and urged attention to the character of the books put into 
the hands of youth. The number of books prepared for the youthful 
reader is very large, and many of them are worse than valueless. I 
shall give a list of a few works that may safely be read by any. In a 
future edition this list will, probably, be extended. 



The Rollo Books ; The Lucy Books ; Abbott's Histories ; Franconia 
Stories, &c. 

No writer has surpassed Mr. Abbott, in writing good books for the 
young ; and all of the many volumes prepared by him may be safely 
recommended, as interesting, instructive and moral, in their char- 
acter. 

Land and Lee ; Sea and Sailor ; Three Years in California ; and 
Deck and Port, by Rev. W. Colton ; Lives of the Signers of the Dec- 
laration of Independence ; Sandwich Islands. 

These interesting volumes are published by A. S. Barnes & Co., 
New York. 

Pleasant Pages for Young People. Boston : Gould & Lincoln. 

Arthur's Library for the Household ; complete in 12 vols. 18mo. 
Philadelphia : by Lippincott, Grambo & Co, Containing the following 
volumes : — Woman's Trials ; The Ways of Providence ; Home Scenes ; 
Stories for Young Housekeepers ; Lessons in Life for all who will read 
them ; Seed-Time and Harvest, or, whatsoever a man soweth, that 
shall he also reap ; Stories for Parents ; Off-hand Sketches a little 
dashed with Humor ; Words for the Wise ; The Tried and the 
Tempted, &c. 

Arthur's New Juvenile Library, beautifully illustrated : — Who is 
Greatest ; Who are Happiest ; The Poor Wood-cutter ; Mr. Have n't- 
got-time and Mr. Don't-be-ia-a-hurry ; The Peace Makers ; Uncle 



BOOKS FOR THE YOUNG. 327 

Ben's New Year's Gift ; The Wounded Boy ; The Lost Children ; Our 
Harry ; The Last Penny ; Pierre, the Organ Boy, &c. 

Arthur's Cabinet Histories of the States. New York, Virginia, 
Georgia and Kentucky, abeady published. These are very interest- 
ing volumes, very neatly bound, and will form a most valuable addi- 
tion to books for the young. 

All the works of Mr. Arthur may be put into the hands of the young 
with a perfect assurance that they tend to promote a high moral tone. 

Novelties of the New World. By Joseph Banvard. 1 vol. 18mo. 
pp. 324. Boston : Gould & Lincoln. 

Romance of American History. By Joseph Banvard. 1 vol. 18mo. 
pp. 306. Boston : Gould & Lincoln. 

American IVIiscellany. By Francis C. Woodworth. 12mo. pp. 288. 
Boston : Phillips, Sampson & Co. 

A Kiss for a Blow. B. B. Mussey & Co., Boston. 

Hernan Cortez ; Henry Hudson ; Daniel Boone ; Hope on, hope 
ever ; The Two Apprentices ; The Clock-maker ; My Own Story ; 
Which is the Wiser ; Alice Franklin ; Sowing and Reaping ; Work 
and Wages ; Love and Money ; Strive and Thrive ; Little Coin, Much 
Care ; The Winter Evening Story Book ; Dangers of Dining Out ; 
The Minister's Family ; Somerville Hall ; Settlers in Canada ; William 
Tell ; Scenes in Africa ; Good in Everything ; Guide to Knowledge ; 
Never Too Late ; The Gold-maker's Village ; The Paris Sketch Book, 
2 vols. ; Story of a Genius ; Peasant and Prince ; Philip Randolph ; 
Domestic Tales ; Rural Tales ; Looking-glass for the Mind ; Ocean 
Work ; Dawnings of Genius ; Oliver Cromwell ; Poplar Grove ; 
Chances and Changes ; The Farmer's Daughter ; Crofton Boys ; 
Early Friendships. 

These pretty and interesting volumes are published by D. Appleton 
& Co., New York. 

Young Americans Abroad. Boston : Gould & Lincoln. 



WORCESTER'S 

SERIES OF 

AMERICAN 

SCHOOL DICTIONAEIES. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE SERIES. 
WOUCESTER'S COMPREHENSIVE DICTIONARY. 

A. Comprehensive Pronouncing and Explanatory Diction- 
ary of the English Language, with Pronouncing Vocabu- 
laries of Classical, Scripture, and Modern Geographical 
Names. By Joseph E. Worcester, LL. D. Enlarged 
Revised Edition, with important additions. 526 pp., 
large 12 mo., containing 67,000 words. 

This Dictionary combines, in a very condensed and cheap form, 
a greater amount of valuable matter than any other similar work. 
It contains, in its various vocabularies, upwards of sixty-seven 
thousand words, many technical terms, and a copious list of such 
words and phrases from foreign languages as are often found in 
English books. — It comprises very full pronouncing vocabu- 
laries of Classical and Scripture Proper Names, and upwards of 
four thousand Modern Geographical Names. The additions 
which have recently been made consist of Abbreviations used in 
Writing and Printing ; Phrases and Quotations from the Latin, 
French, Italian, and Spanish Languages, in general use ; and a 
description of the Principal Deities, Heroes, «&c., of the Fabulous 
History of the Greeks and Romans. This additional matter is not 
only very useful to the general reader, but is of the higliest 
importance to children in schools, who have no Classical Diction- 
aries to consult. 

As a Pronouncing Dictionary, it possesses decided advantages 
over all others, the pronunciation of every word being plainly 
marked y not only in the accent , but in the sounds of the vowels, — a 
most important feature in the plan of the work. Every differenco 



Worcester's elementary dictionary. 

of pronunciation in our language is presented according to tho 
respective and most eminent authorities. 

The Orthography in the work is that which is authorized by 
tlie best usage. Innovations which have no sanction from English 
usage, or the prevailing and best usage of this country, have been 
avoided. The vocabulary of words of doubtful or various orthogra 
phy, together with the rules and remarks which accompany them, 
comprises nearly all the difficult and doubtful cases in English 
orthography. 

WOECESTER'S ELEMENTARY DICTIONARY. 

An English Dictionary for Common Schools, with Pro- 
nouncing Vocabularies of Classical, Scripture, and Mod- 
ern Geographical Names. By Joseph E. Worcester, 
LL. D. Kevised and Enlarged. 360 pp., 12mo., contain- 
ing 44,000 words. 

This work is a reduced form of the Comprehensive Dictionary 
and is especially adapted to the use of common schools. It con- 
tains, in its several vocabularies, upw-ards of 55,000 words. In 
addition to the Dictionary proper, it comprises the following mat- 
ters or divisions : — 

1st. A list of such Words and Phrases from Foreign Languages 
as are often found in English books. This is a class of words for 
the definition and pronunciation of which an English reader often 
wants assistance. 

2d. A short list o^ Americanisms, or words which are reputed as 
peculiar to America, and English words which are used in Amer 
ica in a peculiar manner. 

3d. Remarks on Orthography, with a copious vocabulary of 
Words of doubtful or various Orthography. 

4th. Walker's Vocabulary of Greek and Latin Proper Names, 
with large additions from TroUope and Carr. 

5th. Scripture Proper Names, with the pronunciation according 
to Walker and other orthoepists. 

Gth. A Vocabulary of Geographical Names, with the pronuncia- 
tion jriven according to the best authorities. 



WORCESTER'S PRIMARY DICTIONARY. 

English Lan- 

•••~'J — ' o J , 

• 1 -xr 1 1 • - _r /^ii : 1 < 

guaj 



A Primary Pronouncing Dictionary of the English Lan- 
guage ; with Vocabularies of Classical, Scripture, and 



RECOMMENDATIONS OF WORCESTER'S DICTIONARIES. 

Modern Geographical Names. By Joseph E. Worces- 
ter, LL. D. 352 pp., 18mo., containing 41,000 words. 

This little work contains a vocabulary of the common and well- 
authorized words in the English language. Technical terms, and 
words which are obsolete, provincial, vulgar, or not well author- 
ized, and also a great portion of the compound and derivative 
words of the language, have been omitted, as not necessary or 
suitable in a manual of this kind, which is designed to exhibit the 
correct orthography and pronunciation, together with a concise 
definition, of the common words of the language, such as are 
usually found in the standard works of English literature. 

WORCESTER'S UNIVERSAL AND CRITICAL 
DICTIONARY 

Of the English Language. 1032 pages, 8vo. Containing 
over 100,000 words, and showing in what manner the 
words of various, doubtful, or disputed pronunciation, are 
treated by all the most eminent English orthoepists. 

Recommendations by the highest literary authorities of oui 
country are as follows : — 

The Definitions are clear and exact, and those pertaining to 
technical and scientific terms are specially valuable to the gen- 
eral reader. The author has evidently bestowed great labor on 
Pronunciation. His system of notation, which is easily under- 
stood, and founded on a more complete analysis of the vowel 
sounds than we have elsewhere met with, together with his plan 
of exhibiting all the best English authorities in relation to words 
differently pronounced by different orthoepists, gives to this work 
important advantages as a Pronouncing Dictionary. In Orthog- 
raphy he has made no arbitrary changes ; but, where usage is 
various and fluctuating, he has aimed to be consistent, and to 
reduce to the same rules words of similar formation. 

We confidently recommend it as containing an ample and carO' 
ful view of the present state of our language. 

Jared Sparks, LL. D., President of Harvard University. 
Sidney Willard, A. M., late Prof, of Hebrew, &c., Har. Uni 
Moses Stuart, D. D., Prof. Sacred Literature, Andover, Mass 
Edwards A. Park, D. D., Abbott Professor of Christian 
Theology, Andover, Mass. 



RECOMMENDATIONS OF WORCESTER'S DICTIONARIES. 

Leonard Woods, Jr., D. D., President of Bowdoin College, 
Maine. 

N. Lord, D. D., President of Dartmouth College, New Hamp- 
shire. 

Edward Hitchcock, D. D., LL. D., President of Amherst 
College, Mass. 

Mark Hopkins, D. D., President of Williams College, Mass. 
-Edward T. Channing, LL. D.,Boylston Professor of Rhetoric 
and Oratory, Harvard University. 

Henry W. Longfellow, A. M., Professor of Belles Lettres, 
Harvard University. 

Benjamin Hale, D. D., President of Geneva College, New 
York. 

Alonzo Potter, D. D., LL. D., Bishop of Pennsylvania. 

RoBLEY 'Dunglison, M. D., Professor in Jefferson Medical 
College, Philadelphia. 

Francis Bowen, A. M., Editor of the North American Review. 

Charles Fulsom, A. M., Librarian of the Boston Athenaeum. 

Hector Humphrey, D. D., President of St. John's College, 
Maryland. 

David L. Swain, LL. D., President of University of North 
Carolina. 

John McLean, LL. D., Justice United States Supreme Court, 
Ohio. 

Philip Lindsley, LL. D., President of the University of Nash- 
ville, Tenn. 

N. Lawrence Lindsley, A. M., Professor of Ancient Lan- 
guage and Literature, Cumberland University, Tenn. 

We concur fully in the leading portions of the above recommend- 
ation, — not having had leisure to examine all the particulars 
referred to. 

Levi Woodbury, LL. D., Justice of United States Supreme 
Court, Mass. 

Eliphalet Nott, D. D., LL. D., President Union College. 

From a general and frequent reference to this Dictionary, in 
constant use, I fully concur in the general merit? of the work, and 
regard it as a very valuable aid to science. 

Theodore Frelinghuysen, LL. D., Chancellor of the Uni- 
versity of New York. 

I have used " Worcester's Universal and Critical Dictionary of 
the English Language," in preference to any other, for constant 
reference. 

John Wheeler, D. D., President of University of Vermont. 

The Comprehensive Dictionary is used in the public schools of 
Boston, the Free Academy of New York city, and many othei 



RECOMMENDATIONS OF WORCESTER'S DICTIONARIES, 

places. The Board of Education of New Hampshire have recently 
adopted it for the schools throughout that state. 

Attention is particularly invited to the following recommenda- 
tions from gentlemen who do not lend their names or influence to 
mdifferent publications. 

" This Dictionary exhibits, in its different parts, ample evidence 
of inquiry, careful comparison, and sound judgment. It combines, 
in a very condensed, yet intelligible form, a greater quantity of 
valuable matter than any other similar work ; and as a Pronounc- 
mg Dictionary, it possesses decided advantages over all others, by 
Its superior system of notation, and by its exhibition of all the 
principal authorities respecting words of doubtful and various pro- 
nunciation. We do not hesitate to pronounce it, in our judgment, 
'he most comprehensive, accurate, and useful compendium within our 
knowledge^ 

Joseph Story, LL. D., Professor Law, Cambridge, Mass. 

Sidney Willard, A. M., Professor Hebrew, Latin, &c.,Cam 
bridge, Mass. 

E. T. Channing, a. M., Professor Rhetoric and Oratory, Cam- 
bridge, Mass. 

John Pickering, LL. D., Boston. 

Wm. Allen, D. D., President Bowdoin College, Maine. 

J. L. Kingsley, LL.D., Professor Latin, Yale College, Conn. 

Alonzo Potter, Professor Rhetoric, Union College, N. York. 

C. Anthon, LL. D., Professor Greek and Latin, Columbia 
College, New York. 

J. P. Cushing, A.m., President Hampden Sidney College, Ya. 

Jasper Adams, D. D., President Charleston College, S. C. 

Alonzo Church, D. D., President University of Georgia. 

Philip Lindsley, D. D., President Nashville University, Tenn. 

Edward Beecher, A. M., President Illinois College. 

David Prentice, LL. D., Professor of Languages, Geneva 
College, New York. 

Peter S. Duponceau, LL. D., Philadelphia^ says: — Worces- 
ter's Pronouncing and Explanatory Dictionary contains many val- 
uable improvements on other Avorks of the same kind, which 
makes me consider it as the best Parlor Dictionary now extant. 
I have introduced it into my family, and will not fail to recom- 
mend it to my friends on every occasion. 

Hector Humphrey, D. D., President of St. John's College, 

Annapolis, Md., remarks: — Worcester's Dictionary is in oui 

schools, and I should be glad to see it adopted everywhere, t find 

it exceedingly convenient and useful. 
1^ 



KECOMMENDATIONS OF WORCESTER'S DICTIONARIES. 

RoBLEY DuNGLisoN, M. D., Profcssor in the University of 
Maryland, observes : — 1 have examined this Dictionary with care, 
and am much pleased with the plan and execution. I can have 
no hesitation in awarding to it the merit of being the best adapted 
to the end in view of any that I have examined. It is, in other 
words, the best portable " Pronouncing and Explanatory Diction- 
ary " that I have seen, and as such is deserving of extensive cir- 
culation. 

The American Monthly Review remarks : — That a work of 
this kind was needed, no one who has attended to the subject can 
doubt ; and all who have examined Mr. Worcester's Dictionary, 
and are competent judges of its merits, must be satisfied that much 
has been done to supply a well-known deficiency in regard to books 
of this class. 

Tait's Edinburgh Magazine says, in a notice of a specimen of 
this Dictionary, which was republished in London : — If the work 
possesses the sterling merit of the specimen before us, it will go 
far to supersede most others at present in common use. 

The Select Journal of Foreign Periodical Literature 
remarks : — No specimen, as is well known by all who have used 
tiiis Dictionary, wonld give too favorable an impression of its 
completeness and correctness. 

The Boston Daily Advertiser says: — This work has been 
so long before the public, that it has assumed in many circles 
the character of a standard book of reference. Mr. W.'s name is 
a sufficient warrant that the accuracy of the book will be fully 
maintained by the closest examination. 

The Boston School Committee, in their Report for 1851, 
say: •' Instances of mispronunciation also occurred ; and on call- 
ing for a Dictionary, none was at hand. A fine edition of Web- 
ster's large work lay on the master's table in another story, but, 
for all practical uses, where it was then wanted, it might as well 
have been in Texas. It is recommended that all the teachers be 
required to have Dictionaries in their several rooms. It is also 
'proposed that all the younger pupils be required to have Worces- 
ter's Primary Dictionary, and the more advanced pupils his Com- 
prehensiv^e Pronoancing and Explanatory Dictionary. These 
bouks are very cheap, and, for the price, are the most valuable 
School Books in the English language." 



RECOMMENDATIONS OF WORCESTER'S DICTIONARIES. 

Mr. William H. Wells, Principal of the Putnam Free School, 
and author of a popular Grammar of the English Language, says : — 
" As a standard of orthography and pronunciation, the compilation 
of Mr. Worcester is far in advance of all other works of its class. 
His exhibition of the elementary sounds of the language surpasses 
even the masterly analysis of Smart. The definitions are copious 
and accurate, and every portion of the work affords evidence of 
the most careful and exact discrimination, and the profoundest 
research." 

Mr. William Russell, formerly editor of the American Jour 
nal of Education, and author of a Series of Reading Books, says : — 
" You are aware that I have, in my compilations on elocution, and 
in my instructions on that subject, uniformly referred to the pre- 
vious Dictionaries of Mr. Worcester as the most accurate and sat- 
isfactory sources of information in their department. The new 
Dictionary I have examined closely, and am daily using it as a 
standard for reference ; and it seems to me the most valuable work 
of the kind ever produced in this country. To teachers and stu- 
dents it commends itself by its comparative completeness, its ferfect 
fidelity in observing the authority of the best standards, and its 
exactness in detail. Its style, both in orthography and orthoepy, 
conforms strictly to actual living usage, both in this country and in 
England, with the single exception of words of more than one syl- 
lable terminating in the letters or or our, in which Mr. Worcester 
gives the preference to American usage. In my communications 
with teachers, I have been accustomed, for many years, to hear an 
earnest wish expressed for an American Dictionary, free from the 
peculiarities of Webster, and the obsolete extremes of Walker. 
Such a work Mr, Worcester seems to have furnished, and it bids 
fair to be generally adopted as a standard in instruction." 

Mr. D, S. RowE, Principal of Massachusetts State Normal 
School, Westfield, says : — "I know of no author who has so uni- 
formly exhibited so much good taste and accurate discrimination 
in respect to all the departments of lexicography as Dr. Worces- 
ter. His book is truly a splendid production." 



HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY COMBINED. 



HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY 

COMBINED. 

IN THREE PARTS. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE SERIES. 

THE FIEST BOOK OF HISTORY, 

COMBINED WITH GEOGRAPHY; 

CONTAINING 

THE HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF THE WESTERN 
HEMISPHERE. 

This work contains, as its title indicates, the History and Geog 
raphy of the Western Continent. " In preparing it," says the author, 
" two things have been had in view. In the first place, it should be 
useful ; and in the second place, to make it useful, it must be enter 
taining. To accomplish these ends, the book is provided with maps, 
and before the pupil enters upon the history of any state or country, 
he is to learn from them its shape, boundaries, rivers, shores, &c. He 
is then briefly made acquainted with its present state, its towns and 
sities, and the occupations of its inhabitants. These geographical de- 
tails are conveyed to the pupil by narrating supposed travels through 
various countries, in which he takes a part. 

" The pupil, being thus acquainted with the present condition of a 
country, is then told its history. The author has been careful to in- 
troduce precise dates ; for without them, it would be impossible to give 
any distinct view of any portion of history. But he has sought more 
assiduously to select from the great mass of events those topics which 
would be most calculated to please and to improve the young reader. 
He has introduced many tales, anecdotes, adventures, and curious par- 
ticulars, for the double purpose of enlivening the book, and throwing 
light upon the periods and events with which they are connected. A 
large number of engravings have been inserted, as well for illustration 
as for fixing certain ideas permanently in the memory of the pupil. 

"A familiar style has been adopted, and the materials throughout 
are arranged on a new plan. The common method is to begin at the 
earliest date, and follow down the train of events to the present tima 

36 



HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY COMBINED. 

The author of this work has partially reversed this method. He begins 
with the individual states of our own country, and first exhibits their 
present condition. He then notices a few recent events, and having 
fixed the attention of the reader upon the subject, proceeds to narrate 
the history. Avoiding general statements, he has endeavored to keep 
the attention and interest of the pupil alive by descriptions, sketches, 
and tales, which may at once gratify the taste and improve the under- 
standing." 

Since the publication of the first edition of this work, many impor- 
tirtit events have occurred and great changes have taken place in the 
political geography of the western continent. In this country, six new 
states have been added to the Union, and towns and cities have been 
built as if by the hand of magic ; the geographical part of it had there- 
fore become exceedingly defective. To remedy this defect, it has 
recently (1852) been thoroughly revised. It contains twenty-four maps, 
newly engraved upon steel, and colored, and these maps are inserted 
in connection with the states and countries which they represent. 

The work has already passed through many editions, and met with 
unprecedented favor. Since its revision, it has been introduced as a 
text book into the public schools of Boston, Roxbury, Salem, Lynn, 
Worcester, Springfield, Massachusetts ; Bufi'alo, Rochester, Albany, 
New York, and many other places. It is in general use throughout 
the country. 

Numerous recommendations from distinguished teachers in every 
section of the country are in the hands of the publishers ; but fce work 
has been so long and favorably known that it is not deemed necessary 
to publish them. We have only space for the following letter from 
the principal of the Brimmer School, in Boston : — 

From Mr. Joshua Bates, Jr., Principal of the Brimmer School, Boston 

"Brimmer School, Boston, Februarys, 1853. 
" The Eirst Book of History, combined with Geography, was intro- 
duced into the public schools of this city at the commencement of the 
present school year, to take the place of the Primary Geography then 
in use. It has now been in use in this school five months, a,nd the re- 
sult is perfectly satisfactory. The pupils not only learn the History of 
their own countiy, and thereby acquire an early taste for historical 
reading, but they obtain a better knowledge of the Geography of the 
country than from the study of any primary text book upon this sub- 
ject. I am confident that whoever carefully examines this book will 
favor its general use in schools. 

JOSHUA BATES, JR." 

We trust that all teachers who have not seen the revised edition of 
the work, will do us the favor to examine it. We shall be happy at 
all times to furnish copies for this purpose. 

37 

3477 5 



